Do you need a snowblower in Kalamazoo, MI?
What clears snow in Kalamazoo
Two-stage snowblower
Kalamazoo averages 65 inches a year, among the snowiest towns in the country. Volume alone needs a two-stage machine.
Before you buy, measure the garage door and the storage spot: these machines are wide and heavy.
How much snow Kalamazoo gets
- Snow a year
- 65 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 1.9 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 10 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 62
Extreme, among the snowiest towns in the country. That is about 1.8 times what a typical snowy US city gets. It tends to stay, so each storm lands on the last one.
On a two car driveway that is about 8.4 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Kalamazoo
- Oct0.5
- Nov5.9
- Dec16.4
- Jan18.1
- Feb15.6
- Mar6.0
- Apr2.1
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
Towns near Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo is number 15 of 90 Michigan towns here for snowfall; Sault Ste. Marie gets the most at 120 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage, MI | 5 | 41 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Battle Creek, MI | 18 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Sturgis, MI | 34 | 41 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Coldwater, MI | 38 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Kentwood, MI | 42 | 78 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Holland, MI | 43 | 75 in | Two-stage snowblower |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Single-stage or two-stage and Why storm depth matters more than snowfall.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Battle Creek 5NW, 17.8 miles from Kalamazoo. A normal winter, not this winter's forecast. Snow is weighed at 6.24 pounds a cubic foot, fresh and fairly dry; wet spring snow can weigh three times that.