Do you need a snowblower in La Porte, IN?
The machine for a La Porte driveway
Two-stage snowblower
A storm of 10 inches or more hits La Porte about once every 2 winters. That is deeper than a single-stage intake can swallow.
Before you buy, measure the garage door and the storage spot: these machines are wide and heavy.
A normal La Porte winter
- Snow a year
- 65 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 3.1 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 2 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 50
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 8.5 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in La Porte
- Oct0.2
- Nov4.0
- Dec13.8
- Jan23.0
- Feb16.0
- Mar7.1
- Apr1.1
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
La Porte and its neighbours
La Porte is number 2 of 88 Indiana towns here for snowfall; Michigan City gets the most at 65 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan City, IN | 10 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Chesterton, IN | 18 | 40 in | Gas single-stage |
| Valparaiso, IN | 20 | 40 in | Gas single-stage |
| South Bend, IN | 23 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Portage, IN | 24 | 40 in | Gas single-stage |
| Plymouth, IN | 27 | 55 in | Gas single-stage |
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 Laporte, 0.8 miles from La Porte. 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.