If you are reading through a snow contract this fall, a fair question is how many times we are actually going to come out. The honest answer is that nobody knows for a single winter. What we can tell you is what more than a century of winters says, because the state keeps that record and it is surprisingly useful for planning.
What counts as plowable
Our service starts at two inches of new snow from a single snowfall. One inch is easy to push by hand and often melts off a dark driveway on its own. Two inches is the point where tires pack it into ruts that freeze overnight.
The Minnesota DNR State Climatology Office uses the same line when it summarizes Twin Cities snow records. Its page notes that if a two-inch snowfall is treated as plowable, then "a plowable snowfall occurs in the Twin Cities roughly seven days per season." The exact average in its table is 7.6 days of two inches or more per season, built from records in downtown Minneapolis, the airport and the Chanhassen weather office going back to 1891.
The range matters more than the average
Seven is the number people remember. The number that should shape your winter plans is the spread. The same DNR table shows seasons with as many as 16 days of two-inch snow and seasons with only one. The median is 7, and in one winter out of ten the count reaches 12 or more.
| Snow in one day | Average days per season | Most in one season |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch or more | 14.3 | 27 |
| 2 inches or more | 7.6 | 16 |
| 4 inches or more | 2.7 | 8 |
| 6 inches or more | 1.2 | 5 |
| 8 inches or more | 0.5 | 4 |
All of those figures come from the DNR page linked above, covering seasons from 1891 through 2025. Keep in mind the state counts calendar days, so a storm that drops two inches before midnight and three more after it can show up as two days in the record. We treat that as one snowfall event, and our crews measure at pavement level at several points across the service area rather than at one address.
Month by month, March is the one people forget
Most homeowners picture January as the heavy month, and it does edge out the others. What surprises people is how even the middle of winter is. December, January and March all average about a day and a half of plowable snow apiece, and February is close behind.
March deserves a word. By then the snow blower has been in the garage for weeks and everyone is mentally done with winter. Late season snow is often heavier and wetter, which is the worst kind to shovel. If you were thinking about covering only the early months yourself, look at that March bar before you decide.
October barely registers at 0.1 days. That lines up with what we have seen running routes out of Maple Grove for more than fifteen years: October snow usually melts off within a few days. November averages just under one plowable day, with a median of one, so the first real driveway clearing of the season tends to land somewhere between mid November and Christmas.
Big storms are rare, and that is why they hurt
A six-inch day happens a little over once a season on average, and an eight-inch day about once every two winters. Those are the storms that leave cars stuck at the end of driveways and people late for work. Because they are rare, nobody keeps their own routine sharp for them.
In a long storm we do not wait for the last flake. We start once snowfall stops or once it reaches six inches, whichever comes first, and we run rounds for every six inches after that. The DNR numbers are a good reminder of why that rule exists. Most winters give you one or two of these, and they are the days the service earns its keep.
What this means for a seasonal contract
Every snow contract we write is seasonal with unlimited visits inside the contract period, November 1 through April 30. There is no visit cap and no per-visit charge, so a 16-day winter and a one-day winter cost you the same. That is the point of reading the long-term record: the contract covers whatever this winter turns out to be.
"I was disappointed with my previous snow removal company. Sometimes they wouldn’t show until I called and they charged me for every visit. The customer service just wasn’t there. Switching to West Metro was less expensive overall and the level of service was miles above. My kids never had a problem getting to school on time because the driveway was always ready."
Kristin W., 5-star Google review, September 2026
Pricing is set per property, so we do not publish one number for everyone. If you want to see exactly what is included and what is not, our plain-language walkthrough of the seasonal snow contract covers the trigger, the sixteen-hour guarantee and the short list of extras. When you are ready, our residential snow removal page has the free estimate form.
One more practical point. The record shows winters can swing hard in either direction, and routes are capped every year so service stays fast. The people who end up shoveling a plowable snowfall in December are usually the ones who waited to see what kind of winter it would be.
Frequently asked questions
How many plowable snowfalls does the Twin Cities get each winter?
The Minnesota DNR State Climatology Office counts an average of 7.6 days per season with two inches of snow or more in the Twin Cities, based on records from 1891 through 2025. The median is 7 days, but individual winters have ranged from a single plowable day to as many as 16.
What month gets the most plowable snow in Minnesota?
January averages 1.6 days with two inches or more in the Twin Cities, with December and March close behind at 1.5 each and February at 1.4. March is the month homeowners most often underestimate, and late season snow tends to be heavy and wet.
When does the first plowable snow usually arrive in Maple Grove?
October averages only 0.1 days of two-inch snow, and early snow usually melts within a few days. November averages just under one plowable day, so the first driveway clearing in Maple Grove and the rest of the west metro usually comes between mid November and late December.
Does a snowy winter cost more on a seasonal snow contract?
Not with West Metro Lawn & Snow. Seasonal contracts include unlimited visits from November 1 through April 30 with no per-visit charges, so the price stays the same whether the winter brings one plowable snowfall or sixteen. Pricing is quoted per property after a free estimate.
How much snow does the Twin Cities get in a year?
The DNR lists the 1991 to 2020 annual snowfall normal for the Twin Cities at 51.2 inches, which is 4.5 inches more than the 120-year long-term average of 46.7 inches. Individual seasons vary widely, from about 23 inches to more than 100.