Do you need a snowblower in Niles, MI?
What clears snow in Niles
Gas single-stage
Niles gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 8.1 tons a winter on this driveway, but storms over 8 inches are uncommon.
Before you buy, check the intake height against the deepest storm above, and plan to clear before the city plow leaves its ridge of heavy slush at the end of the drive.
How much snow Niles gets
- Snow a year
- 63 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 2.7 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 5 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 55
Heavy, more than most snowy cities. That is about 1.7 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 8.1 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Niles
- Oct0.1
- Nov4.6
- Dec14.5
- Jan22.6
- Feb13.6
- Mar6.3
- Apr0.8
Snow worth clearing runs from November to March, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
Niles and its neighbours
Niles is number 17 of 90 Michigan towns here for snowfall; Sault Ste. Marie gets the most at 120 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend, IN | 11 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Mishawaka, IN | 12 | 50 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Elkhart, IN | 18 | 37 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Goshen, IN | 28 | 45 in | Cordless single-stage |
| La Porte, IN | 29 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Michigan City, IN | 33 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Snowblowers on a gravel driveway and Single-stage or two-stage.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Niles, 1.0 miles from Niles. 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.