Sierra Nevada snow history

10 years of snow depth, snowfall and conditions at Andalusia, Spain · 6,890ft to 10,827ft

Over the last 10 seasons Sierra Nevada, Spain has averaged 126in of snowfall, a peak snow depth of 7in, 5 powder days and 19 bluebird days a year.

Snow history & climate

10-year averages for Sierra Nevada

126 in
Snowfall / season
Nov-May total
8 in
Peak depth
typical season high
5
Powder days
6in+ in a day
19
Bluebird days
sun after snow
43
Rain days
0.04in+ of rain
9
Skiable days
12in+ cover

Month by month

Monthly averages

Average snowfall, snow depth, rain, sunshine and day counts by month at Sierra Nevada, over the last 10 seasons.
MonthSnowfallAvg depthRainSun/dayTempPowderBluebirdRain days
Jan20 in3 in0.8in8.2 h32° / 21°0.73.33.2
Feb15 in4 in1.1in9.3 h34° / 23°0.51.12.6
Mar44 in2 in0.7in9.3 h34° / 23°2.46.14.3
Apr16 in0 in2in11.1 h40° / 28°0.52.99.5
May8 in0 in1.9in12.8 h49° / 35°0.21.411.2
Jun0 in0 in2.2in13.6 h59° / 44°0.00.010.7
Jul0 in0 in1in13.7 h68° / 51°0.00.08.0
Aug0 in0 in1.8in12.7 h67° / 51°0.00.09.8
Sep0 in0 in2.7in11.4 h58° / 43°0.00.010.6
Oct4 in0 in2.3in9.8 h50° / 37°0.10.79.4
Nov11 in0 in2.2in8.7 h40° / 28°0.42.06.7
Dec11 in1 in1.6in8.1 h36° / 25°0.21.85.0

Averages across the last 10 seasons. Powder, bluebird and rain columns are the average number of such days per month.

Season by season

SeasonSnowfallPeak depthPowder daysBluebird daysSkiable days
2025/26163 in50 in92788
2024/25133 in2 in5270
2023/24125 in2 in4130
2022/23leanest68 in2 in1100
2021/22156 in4 in6260
2020/21118 in5 in3180
2019/20111 in4 in2210
2018/1993 in2 in2110
2017/18best220 in3 in13220
2016/1770 in4 in4110
How these numbers are calculated
  • Powder day — at least 6in of new snow in 24 hours.
  • Bluebird day — sunshine for at least 60% of daylight, following at least 4in of snow over the previous 3 days.
  • Rain day — at least 0.04in of rain (not snow) at this elevation.
  • Skiable day — at least 12in of settled snow on the ground.
  • Snow depth is modelled from Open-Meteo / ERA5 reanalysis at 8,858ft, not measured at the resort. Use it to compare seasons and resorts; use the resort's own report for today's conditions.

How Sierra Nevada compares

Measured against 40 other resorts across 18 countries, each analysed exactly the same way. The line down the middle of each bar is the median.

Snowfall per season
about average
126 in
Ahead of 57% of resortsMedian 111 in

Total new snow between November and May.

Peak snow depth
well below average
7 in
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 33 in

How deep the settled base gets at its yearly high.

Powder days
well above average
5
Ahead of 80% of resortsMedian 2

Days with 6in or more of new snow.

Bluebird days
well above average
19
Ahead of 85% of resortsMedian 10

Sun and fresh snow on the same day.

Rain days
above average
43
Drier than 37% of resortsMedian 32

Days with 0.04in or more of rain, not snow.

Skiable days
well below average
9
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 115

Days holding 12in or more of settled snow.

When to go

These rarely land in the same month, so it is worth deciding which one matters most before you book.

Deepest base
February
4in average depth
Most new snow
March
44in and 2.4 powder days
Best bluebird odds
March
6.1 bluebird days, 9.3h sun a day
Wettest month
May
11.2 rain days

Is Sierra Nevada a good place to ski or board?

frequent powder daysplenty of bluebird daysthe base does not get especially deepthe season is shorter than average

On 10 years of record, Sierra Nevada stands out for frequent powder days and plenty of bluebird days. The trade-off is that the base does not get especially deep and the season is shorter than average.

Figures are modelled at 8,858ft from reanalysis data and describe an average year, not a forecast.

Sierra Nevada snow record in detail

How much snow does Sierra Nevada get?

Sierra Nevada averages 126in of snowfall over a full season, measured from November to May across the last 10 winters. That is about average: more snow than 57% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median season brings 111in.

Season to season the spread is wide. The best of the last 10 winters was 2017/18 with 220in, and the leanest was 2022/23 with 68in — a difference of 153in between a good year and a poor one. The most recent complete season, 2025/26, delivered 163in.

March is reliably the snowiest month, averaging 44in and 12 days with fresh snow.

How deep does the snow get at Sierra Nevada?

Snowfall totals flatter resorts that lose their snow quickly, so the more useful number is how deep the settled base actually gets. At Sierra Nevada the snowpack peaks at an average of 7in each season. That is well below average, deeper than fewer than every other resort in the set, against a median peak of 33in.

The base is deepest in February, averaging 4in through the month and topping out around 6in in a typical year.

How many powder days does Sierra Nevada get?

Counting any day that delivers at least 6in of new snow, Sierra Nevada averages 5 powder days a season. That is well above average, more powder days than 80% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median is 2 a season.

March has the most, 2.4 on average.

How often does Sierra Nevada get bluebird days?

Sierra Nevada averages 19 bluebird days a season — days of sunshine for at least 60% of daylight after 4in or more of fresh snow. That is well above average, more than 85% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median of 10.

March is the best month for it, averaging 6.1 bluebird days and 9.3 hours of sunshine a day.

Does it rain at Sierra Nevada?

At mid-mountain Sierra Nevada sees an average of 43 days a season with 0.04in or more of rain rather than snow. That is above average: 63% of the 40 other resorts we have analysed the same way see fewer wet days, against a median of 32.

May is the wettest month of the season, with 11.2 rain days and 1.9in on average.

When is the best time to ski or board Sierra Nevada, and when does the season end?

For the deepest base, go in February; for the most new snow, March; for fresh snow with sunshine, March.

Comparisons use 40 resorts across 18 countries, each measured over 5 recent seasons at mid-mountain height. Glaciated locations, where the model never melts the snow out, are excluded. Figures for Sierra Nevada are taken at 8,858ft. Corpus last rebuilt September 2, 2026.

Sierra Nevada month by month

What to expect in each month of the season, from the same ten-year record. Figures are averages for mid-mountain; a good or poor winter can move them a long way.

Sierra Nevada in November

Too early

In November cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 0in through the month. It brings 11in of new snow in an average year, with 5 snow days and 0.4 powder days. Average highs are 40°F and lows 28°F, with 8.7 hours of sunshine a day and 2 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 6.7 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average November.

Sierra Nevada in December

Too early

In December cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 1in through the month. It brings 11in of new snow in an average year, with 5 snow days and 0.2 powder days. Average highs are 36°F and lows 25°F, with 8.1 hours of sunshine a day and 1.8 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 5 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average December.

Sierra Nevada in January

Too early

In January cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 3in through the month. It is the second-snowiest month of the season, with 20in of new snow on average, 8 snow days and 0.7 powder days. Average highs are 32°F and lows 21°F, with 8.2 hours of sunshine a day and 3.3 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 3.2 on average at mid-mountain.

Sierra Nevada in February

Season over

By February the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 4in. It brings 15in of new snow in an average year, with 7 snow days and 0.5 powder days. Average highs are 34°F and lows 23°F, with 9.3 hours of sunshine a day and 1.1 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 2.6 on average at mid-mountain.

Sierra Nevada in March

Season over

By March the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 2in. It is the snowiest month of the season, with 44in of new snow on average, 12 snow days and 2.4 powder days. Average highs are 34°F and lows 23°F, with 9.3 hours of sunshine a day and 6.1 bluebird days, the most of any month. Rain is a real risk: 4.3 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average March.

Sierra Nevada in April

Season over

By April the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 0in. It is the third-snowiest month of the season, with 16in of new snow on average, 7 snow days and 0.5 powder days. Average highs are 40°F and lows 28°F, with 11.1 hours of sunshine a day and 2.9 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 9.5 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average April.

More on Sierra Nevada

Ski resorts near Sierra Nevada

Distances are straight-line, not by road.