March 5, 2026, 5:11 a.m. ET
As the March weather folklore proverb goes, in like a lion, out like a lamb. That’s how the National Weather Service office in Cleveland, which handles the Erie forecast, has described the 2025-2026 winter for Erie, so far.
According to the National Weather Service, Erie’s weather has been labeled as a “mild winter,” despite periods of heavy snowfall and cold temperatures.
From the Erie International Airport, where the Erie snowfall is measured officially, the National Weather Service has recorded 69.9 inches of snowfall for the 2025-2026 season.
In early March, Keith Jaszka, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service says the total amount is 19.2 inches below what is considered a “normal winter” for Erie. The historical average of snowfall for Erie is 104.3 inches.
“Compared to the past several winters, it was a relatively colder winter and a snowy one as well, despite it being below normal for snowfall,” Jaszka said.
Weather outlook: Erie winters are shrinking. What a new study saysA very light snowfall month in February
The month of February in Erie was light on the snowfall. Jaszka said that the National Weather Service recorded only 5.7 inches of snow in Erie for the entire month.
In February, the day with the most snow was on Feb. 6 when Erie received 2 inches.
Back in January, the National Weather Service recorded 31.8 inches of snow for Erie.
What was the greatest snowfall day in Erie in 2025-2026?
Jaszka says that the greatest calendar day for the winter of 2025-2026 season was on Dec. 31 when Erie received 9 inches of snow.
In 2026, the greatest amount of snowfall happened on Jan. 25 when Erie received 8.9 inches of snow.
What were coldest winter days in Erie this season?
According to the National Weather Service, the coldest days happened on:
Jan. 30: minus 9 degreesJan. 24: minus 7 degreesJan. 31: minus 3 degrees
With the mild end to winter, Erie has dropped to seventh in the run for the 2025-2026 Golden Snow Globe, the national contest for the snowiest cities run by Patrick DeCoursey of East Syracuse.
In early February, Erie was in sixth place. Now Grand Rapids, Michigan is in sixth place above Erie.
As of March 4 the top five snowiest cities in America are:
Syracuse, New York: 134.6 inchesRochester, New York: 107.9 inchesSouth Bend, Indiana: 91.1 inchesBuffalo, New York: 88.3 inchesWorcester, Massachusetts: 77.2 inches
Syracuse, New York took the Golden Snow Globe in 2024-2025.
Partly frozen: Lake Erie’s ice has been thawing, but weather shift could change thatStay up to date on Erie-area weather
Return to GoErie.com for updates. Get the latest AccuWeather forecast details and radar images for your ZIP code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for iOS or Android for mobile-friendly forecasts.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@usatodayco.com.