When Does Fargo Get Its First Snow?

It's October 1 and Fargo hasn't had measurable snow yet this season. How long do we usually get?

We pulled every daily snowfall report from Fargo's official weather station at Hector International Airport since 1991 - the same record the National Weather Service uses.¹ Here's what it shows.

The first snow

• The first measurable snow - at least 0.1 inch - usually comes around November 4. (That's the middle year: half of winters have had it by then, half haven't.)
• The first day with an inch or more usually comes around November 11. But it varies a lot: in about 1 winter in 10 it has already happened by October 11, and in about 1 in 10 it waits until after December 2.

A "trace" - snow that falls but doesn't measure 0.1 inch - counts as zero, the way the Weather Service counts it.¹

How much is coming

An average winter since 1991 has brought 49.2 inches. Last winter (2025-26) came in under that, at 40.3 inches.

The range is huge. The snowiest winter in the record was 1996-97, at 117 inches. The least snowy was 2014-15, at just 16 inches, followed by 2023-24 at 17.5.

(Snow seasons run July 1 to June 30, the way the Weather Service counts them.)

Follow along

Our snowfall tracker updates every day with the season's total against normal, and the date of this winter's first snow once it falls. Before then: get the snow blower serviced and learn the snow emergency rules.

References