Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in Michigan can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Houghton, the snowiest place in Michigan.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which Michigan cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in Michigan with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Wolverine State.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table
The 10 Snowiest Cities In Michigan For 2024
What’s the snowiest place in Michigan with more than 5,000 people? That would be Houghton with an average annual snowfall of 207.4 inches.
Read on below to see where your town ranked, you snow angels.
And if you already knew these places were snowy, check out the best places to live in Michigan or the cheapest places in Michigan.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In Michigan For 2024
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Population: 7,942
Average Annual Snowfall: 207.4 inches
More on Houghton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,517
Average Annual Snowfall: 161.1 inches
More on Ishpeming: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 21,444
Average Annual Snowfall: 128.0 inches
More on Marquette: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 14,048
Average Annual Snowfall: 117.0 inches
More on Sault Ste. Marie: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 15,168
Average Annual Snowfall: 113.5 inches
More on Traverse City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,725
Average Annual Snowfall: 103.0 inches
More on Petoskey: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,136
Average Annual Snowfall: 94.4 inches
More on Manistee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,809
Average Annual Snowfall: 89.7 inches
More on Muskegon Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 23,982
Average Annual Snowfall: 88.5 inches
More on Norton Shores: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Cities In Michigan With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in Michigan, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Wolverine State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in Michigan.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities:
- Detroit — 32.5 inches
- Grand Rapids — 65.7 inches
- Warren — 31.3 inches
The snowiest cities in Michigan are Houghton, Ironwood, Ishpeming, Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Traverse City, Petoskey, Manistee, Muskegon Heights, and Norton Shores.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
If you’re curious, here are the places that get the least amount of snow in Michigan with at least snow snowfall:
- Adrian — 28.8 inches
- Grosse Pointe Woods — 28.9 inches
- Grosse Pointe Park — 29.2 inches
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In Michigan
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houghton | 207.4 | 7,942 |
| 2 | Ironwood | 176.2 | 5,153 |
| 3 | Ishpeming | 161.1 | 6,517 |
| 4 | Marquette | 128.0 | 21,444 |
| 5 | Sault Ste. Marie | 117.0 | 14,048 |
| 6 | Traverse City | 113.5 | 15,168 |
| 7 | Petoskey | 103.0 | 5,725 |
| 8 | Manistee | 94.4 | 6,136 |
| 9 | Muskegon Heights | 89.7 | 10,809 |
| 10 | Norton Shores | 88.5 | 23,982 |
| 11 | Cadillac | 86.9 | 10,327 |
| 12 | Muskegon | 86.1 | 37,861 |
| 13 | Allegan | 83.2 | 5,036 |
| 14 | St. Joseph | 80.6 | 8,311 |
| 15 | Alpena | 78.7 | 10,273 |
| 16 | Holland | 75.8 | 33,526 |
| 17 | Ludington | 75.1 | 8,055 |
| 18 | Niles | 73.1 | 11,450 |
| 19 | Benton Harbor | 73.1 | 10,014 |
| 20 | Fair Plain | 73.1 | 7,706 |
| 21 | Allendale | 72.6 | 18,456 |
| 22 | Jenison | 72.6 | 17,004 |
| 23 | Grand Haven | 72.6 | 10,819 |
| 24 | Hudsonville | 72.6 | 7,271 |
| 25 | Zeeland | 72.6 | 5,591 |
| 26 | Kentwood | 72.5 | 50,286 |
| 27 | Greenville | 71.6 | 8,443 |
| 28 | Forest Hills | 71.2 | 27,415 |
| 29 | Wyoming | 70.8 | 74,105 |
| 30 | Grandville | 69.2 | 15,739 |
| 31 | Dowagiac | 67.8 | 5,866 |
| 32 | Cutlerville | 66.4 | 15,142 |
| 33 | East Grand Rapids | 66.4 | 11,128 |
| 34 | Comstock Park | 66.4 | 10,431 |
| 35 | Byron Center | 66.4 | 6,391 |
| 36 | Rockford | 66.4 | 5,956 |
| 37 | Belding | 66.1 | 5,771 |
| 38 | Grand Rapids | 65.7 | 192,416 |
| 39 | Northview | 64.8 | 15,278 |
| 40 | Walker | 63.7 | 24,242 |
| 41 | Hastings | 62.3 | 7,304 |
| 42 | Big Rapids | 62.0 | 10,532 |
| 43 | Kingsford | 58.4 | 5,104 |
| 44 | Iron Mountain | 58.3 | 7,571 |
| 45 | Kalamazoo | 57.4 | 75,499 |
| 46 | Battle Creek | 57.0 | 51,830 |
| 47 | Ionia | 56.8 | 11,384 |
| 48 | Westwood | 54.5 | 9,372 |
| 49 | Eastwood | 54.5 | 6,254 |
| 50 | Comstock Northwest | 54.5 | 5,140 |
| 51 | Ann Arbor | 52.8 | 116,194 |
| 52 | Springfield | 51.7 | 5,216 |
| 53 | Coldwater | 49.5 | 10,866 |
| 54 | Escanaba | 49.1 | 12,468 |
| 55 | Marshall | 48.8 | 7,038 |
| 56 | Waverly | 47.7 | 24,535 |
| 57 | Ypsilanti | 46.7 | 19,874 |
| 58 | Lansing | 46.6 | 114,485 |
| 59 | Portage | 46.2 | 47,496 |
| 60 | Milan | 45.8 | 5,929 |
| 61 | Wixom | 45.4 | 13,690 |
| 62 | Menominee | 45.3 | 8,456 |
| 63 | Saline | 44.9 | 9,020 |
| 64 | South Lyon | 44.7 | 11,616 |
| 65 | Hillsdale | 44.2 | 8,203 |
| 66 | Eaton Rapids | 44.2 | 5,221 |
| 67 | Charlotte | 44.1 | 9,057 |
| 68 | Mason | 43.5 | 8,317 |
| 69 | Whitmore Lake | 43.5 | 6,653 |
| 70 | East Lansing | 43.4 | 48,669 |
| 71 | Holt | 43.1 | 24,289 |
| 72 | Okemos | 43.1 | 22,073 |
| 73 | Haslett | 42.8 | 20,057 |
| 74 | Grand Ledge | 42.2 | 7,792 |
| 75 | Mount Pleasant | 41.9 | 26,134 |
| 76 | Saginaw | 41.7 | 50,288 |
| 77 | Romulus | 41.7 | 23,557 |
| 78 | Albion | 41.3 | 8,316 |
| 79 | Bay City | 41.2 | 34,402 |
| 80 | Wayne | 41.2 | 17,251 |
| 81 | Flat Rock | 41.2 | 9,879 |
| 82 | Midland | 40.8 | 41,995 |
| 83 | Monroe | 40.7 | 20,335 |
| 84 | Lambertville | 40.7 | 9,731 |
| 85 | Temperance | 40.7 | 9,369 |
| 86 | South Monroe | 40.7 | 6,177 |
| 87 | St. Louis | 40.5 | 7,355 |
| 88 | Freeland | 40.5 | 7,241 |
| 89 | Bridgeport | 40.5 | 6,574 |
| 90 | Buena Vista | 40.5 | 6,192 |
| 91 | Shields | 40.5 | 6,192 |
| 92 | St. Johns | 40.2 | 7,954 |
| 93 | Brighton | 40.1 | 7,555 |
| 94 | Alma | 40.0 | 9,264 |
| 95 | Swartz Creek | 39.9 | 5,632 |
| 96 | Novi | 39.8 | 57,577 |
| 97 | Westland | 39.1 | 82,642 |
| 98 | Howell | 38.4 | 9,502 |
| 99 | Flint | 38.2 | 99,802 |
| 100 | Taylor | 37.9 | 62,021 |