Do you need a snowblower in Traverse City, MI?
Your answer for Traverse City
Two-stage snowblower
Traverse City averages 101 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 Traverse City gets
- Snow a year
- 101 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 3.5 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 3 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 103
Extreme, among the snowiest towns in the country. That is about 2.8 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 13.1 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Traverse City
- Oct0.1
- Nov5.6
- Dec24.6
- Jan32.3
- Feb21.4
- Mar12.3
- Apr4.7
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in January. Start and service a machine in October.
Traverse City and its neighbours
Traverse City is number 3 of 90 Michigan towns here for snowfall; Sault Ste. Marie gets the most at 120 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac, MI | 36 | 74 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 90 | 39 in | Gas single-stage |
| Escanaba, MI | 99 | 47 in | Gas single-stage |
| Marinette, WI | 102 | 44 in | Gas single-stage |
| Midland, MI | 103 | 49 in | Gas single-stage |
| Two Rivers, WI | 106 | 46 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 Traverse City Munson, 2.1 miles from Traverse City. 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.