When Will Your State See Its First Snow in 2026? This Map Shows When to Expect It

With October just around the corner, we're officially in the thick of the 'ber months, meaning snow might be on the horizon, depending on where you live.

Some of us cannot wait for snow each year, reminiscing about hot cocoa, warm blankets, cozy films, and watching the flakes fall from the window. Others wince at the mere thought of snow and last year's frozen streets, power outages, and chilly temperatures.

Many assume that if you grew up with snow, you don't mind when it blankets your city and ruins your plans, but that's not always the case. Similarly, not everyone in states with temperate climates dreams of a white Christmas; they are perfectly content building a sand snowman!

Still, some people really love (and depend on) the snow and the fun, holiday-themed activities that come with it.

Each year, Farmers' Almanac releases a snowfall map that shows when your region will receive snow, based on previous years’ weather patterns.

Here's when your state is predicted to get its first snowfall in 2026.

THE COLD-WEATHER KEY

Along with a map, the Farmers' Almanac released a key to help you understand which regions will see snow months before others, if at all. Each color represents a timeframe when snow usually falls in a certain area. Purple indicates the earliest snowfall, while light blue depicts late or no snowfall.

Mountain regions are predicted to see snow at the highest elevations as early as August and September, while parts of the Deep South and desert Southwest likely won't have to think about snow until at least December, January, or never. 

Other regions (the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Rockies, New England, and Mid-Atlantic) will likely experience snow throughout October, November, and December. 

THE UNITED STATES OF SNOWFALL

Based on the map, Northern mountain regions will be the first to see the all-too-familiar dusting of snow arrive at their doorsteps. This includes sections of Washington State, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

The Northern Rockies and Plains can expect snow in October (based on previous years), along with parts of New England. The second wave of snowfall will potentially dust (or maybe dump) across Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, northeastern New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and northwestern Wisconsin.

Once Halloween and spooky season have ended, a few other regions can expect possible snowfall throughout November, including Colorado, Utah, less elevated parts of Wyoming, Oregon's coast, Nevada's northeastern corner, northern New Mexico, the Great Lakes region, Pennsylvania, the rest of New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and areas of higher elevation across the Appalachian mountain range.

The middle of the United States might join the snowflake fun around Thanksgiving and into December, with snow expected to fall across Northern California, the Ohio Valley, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, most of Oregon, and the Texas Panhandle.

The Southeast, Southwest, Deep South, and Gulf Coast regions will be the last to see snow (again, if any), in late December and early January.

Whether the possibility of snow is exciting or unwelcome, the map is not a snow guarantee, but an estimate based on yearly averages. Some states might see snow earlier than expected; others might go the entire year without any!

DO YOU GET EXCITED FOR SNOW EVERY YEAR?

Take the poll to find out if more people are snow lovers or snow haters!

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