Do you need a snowblower in West Des Moines, IA?
What clears snow in West Des Moines
Gas single-stage
West Des Moines 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.
What a West Des Moines winter brings
- Snow a year
- 37 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 1.6 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 10 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 52
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 West Des Moines
- Oct0.5
- Nov2.7
- Dec7.9
- Jan9.4
- Feb10.2
- Mar4.4
- Apr1.2
- May0.2
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in February. Start and service a machine in October.
Towns near West Des Moines
West Des Moines is number 11 of 41 Iowa towns here for snowfall; Mason City gets the most at 44 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clive, IA | 4 | 37 in | Gas single-stage |
| Waukee, IA | 6 | 37 in | Gas single-stage |
| Urbandale, IA | 6 | 38 in | Gas single-stage |
| Norwalk, IA | 6 | 37 in | Gas single-stage |
| Grimes, IA | 9 | 38 in | Gas single-stage |
| Des Moines, IA | 9 | 37 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 Des Moines International Airport, 6.7 miles from West Des Moines. 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.