OHIO — Ohio’s odds of seeing measurable snow in January are historically strong, based on long-term climate records—though amounts vary widely by location and by year.
In National Weather Service climate reporting, snow that reaches at least 0.1 inch of accumulation is typically recorded as measurable; anything less is often logged as a “trace.”
Thirty-year climate normals (1991–2020) show that January is a core snow month across the state.
In Cleveland, the normal January snowfall is 18.4 inches, with an average of 5.8 days in January reaching 1 inch or more of snowfall.
In Columbus, normal January snowfall is 9.5 inches, with 2.8 days averaging 1 inch or more. In the Cincinnati area (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport station), normal January snowfall is 7.7 inches, with 2.2 daysaveraging 1 inch or more.
Temperatures also support the possibility. January average temperatures hover near or below freezing in these reference locations—about 29.1°F in Cleveland, 29.6°F in Columbus, and 31.4°F in the Cincinnati-area station—conditions that can support snow when moisture and storm systems line up.
