Do you need a snowblower in Portland, ME?
Your answer for Portland
Two-stage snowblower
A storm of 10 inches or more hits Portland about once a winter. 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.
How much snow Portland gets
- Snow a year
- 69 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 5.0 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once a winter
- Days with snow on the ground
- 74
Extreme, among the snowiest towns in the country. That is about 1.9 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 8.9 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Portland
- Oct0.2
- Nov2.3
- Dec14.6
- Jan18.6
- Feb16.6
- Mar13.6
- Apr2.8
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
Portland and its neighbours
Portland is number 5 of 11 Maine towns here for snowfall; Waterville gets the most at 86 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Portland, ME | 5 | 69 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Westbrook, ME | 10 | 69 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Saco, ME | 14 | 69 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Biddeford, ME | 17 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Auburn, ME | 31 | 65 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Lewiston, ME | 32 | 65 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 Portland International Jetport, 5.9 miles from Portland. 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.