COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As we approach December, many who have yet to see the first snow of the season will see their first snow this upcoming month. Parts of the Great Lakes, Plains, and West have already recorded the first snow of the season. Even western Texas recorded its first snow earlier this season.
If you have yet to see your first snow of the season, and are curious when you may, you're in luck. Numbers from the National Weather Service's 30-year average database were analyzed to find the date by which the season's first measurable snow occurs.
Looking at the map, October is typically the first month for snowfall in the northern Rockies, the northern Great Lakes, and the northern tip of the Northeast. As we progress through October into November, the average first snowfall spreads equatorially. By December, most states will experience the first snowfall of the season outside of the areas near the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite snow being classified as "rare" for the Brazos Valley, per the data from the National Weather Service, it still occurs every couple of years. Climatologically, the most favored timeframe for snow is from late-December into early-February. The earliest snow on record for Bryan-College Station was on November 8th, 1955. A trace of snow was reported on that day. And, of course, everyone remembers the snow event on December 8th, 2017 when 2-6" of snow fell across the Brazos Valley.
