Do you need a snowblower in Storm Lake, IA?
What clears snow in Storm Lake
Gas single-stage
Storm Lake gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 4.7 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 Storm Lake gets
- Snow a year
- 36 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 2.2 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 3 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 77
Moderate, a typical snowy-city winter. About 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 4.7 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Storm Lake
- Oct0.5
- Nov2.8
- Dec8.6
- Jan11.1
- Feb6.6
- Mar5.1
- Apr1.7
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
Storm Lake and its neighbours
Storm Lake is number 16 of 41 Iowa towns here for snowfall; Mason City gets the most at 44 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer, IA | 35 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Carroll, IA | 43 | 35 in | Gas single-stage |
| Le Mars, IA | 51 | 31 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 53 | 39 in | Gas single-stage |
| Sioux City, IA | 62 | 36 in | Gas single-stage |
| South Sioux City, NE | 63 | 36 in | Gas single-stage |
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 Galva, 14.9 miles from Storm Lake. 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.
- Days with snow on the ground come from a second nearby station, because the closest one does not record snow depth.