Rochester winter off to snowier-than-normal start

Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Tue, December 16, 2025 at 4:59 PM UTC

2 min read

The snow keeps falling on Rochester and its not even just like old times — this winter is snowier than normal so far.

There have been 24.7 inches of snow in Rochester as of Dec. 15, putting the Flower City ahead of the normal 17.9 inches by that date. That’s still well short of the record by Dec. 15, which is 44.6 inches in 2010.

What sets this season apart from some others is the snow isn’t coming in a few heavy storms, there have been repeated snow events.

Rochester’s December has seen snow every day

Snow covers pine needles along a trail the Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area in Greece on Dec. 10, 2025.

There has been documented snowfall every day in December, ranging from just a trace on two days up to 4.6 inches on Dec. 11. The greatest snowfall in November was 1.8 inches, which fell on Nov. 10.

It’s not just been snowy so far this winter. It’s also been quite a bit colder than normal.

To this point in the month, December's average temperature is 11.1 degrees colder than normal — and every day single day has been colder than normal. The biggest departure was on Dec. 8, which was an average temperature a whopping 20.5 degrees colder than normal.

Warm-up midweek before snow returns Friday

This all is a far cry from last December, when there were two days with a high in the 60s, though average temperatures right around normal at the end of the month. It was also marked by much more erratic temperatures, with the warmest day at 63 degrees and the coldest day peaking at just 15 degrees.

There’s a warm up in the future, however, with temperatures expected to rise into the 40s on Wednesday and Thursday, though snow reenters the forecast Thursday evening into Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

— Steve Howe reports on weather, climate and the Great Lakes for the Democrat and Chronicle. An RIT graduate, he has covered myriad topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics and economic development in New York and Utah.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester winter off to snowier-than-normal start

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