Even though winter doesn't officially begin until Dec. 21, winter weather has already arrived.

What You Need To Know

  • Syracuse's first snow of the 2021-2022 season was on Nov. 16

  • The first snow fell two weeks later than last year

  • A total of 0.3 inches of snow was reported

  • The average November snowfall in Syracuse is 7.9 inches

On Nov. 16, we had our first snow of the season in Syracuse. It totaled 0.3 inches.

Defining the first snow

We consider the first snow to be the first measurable snow. That is, the snow adds up to at least one-tenth of an inch.

That means that the trace of snow reported on Oct. 18 and Nov. 15 does not meet the criteria for being deemed the first snow of the season.

A look back at last year

This season's first snowfall was exactly two weeks later than the first snow of last year, which kicked off on Nov. 2. Syracuse reported a total of 0.7 inches of snow.

Not unusual

While our first snow was a bit behind schedule this year, it is not anything out of the ordinary.

Historical data shows that the 1932-1933 winter season was definitely an outlier when it came to the first snow. It held off until Jan. 5, 1933, making it the latest first snow in Syracuse with a measly 0.1 inches reported.

In stark contrast, the earliest first snow was on Oct. 1, 1946. Syracuse reported 0.6 inches of snow.

More to come

Last week's snow didn't add up to much. However, it was quite the sight, especially considering that Syracuse hadn't measured any snow since April 22, 2021–almost seven months beforehand!

The average snowfall for the month of November is 7.9 inches, and with the first snow now in the books, one thing is for sure: We have plenty more winter weather to get through in the days, weeks and months ahead.