The new year is upon us and with it comes winter weather in the short-term forecast.

January is historically the snowiest month in Rochester, based on data from the National Weather Service in Buffalo. Since 1940, January in Rochester has been the snowiest month for the most years (27) and is the snowiest by average snowfall (24.3 inches).

February isn’t far behind, as the snowiest month in 26 years, with an average snowfall of 22.7 inches. In the past 20 years, February has been the snowiest month seven times, more than December or January, each at five.

Does it snow a lot in Rochester? Here’s the average snowfall by month since 1940

• November: 7.2 inches

• December: 19.8 inches

• January: 24.3 inches

• February: 22.7 inches

• March: 15.3 inches

The record for snowiest month in Rochester is February 1958, when 64.8 inches of snow fell. The snowiest winter on record was 1959-60, which saw 161.7 inches of snow. The total narrowly edged out 1977-78, with 160.9 inches of snow.

Last winter, Rochester saw 50.4 inches of snow, with March being the snowiest month at 20.5 inches at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. The normal seasonal snowfall average is around 102 inches.

What is this winter going to be like in Rochester NY?

As was the case during the last significant El Niño in 2015-16, Rochester has seen a warm start to winter with below-normal snowfall. Christmas Day was one of the warmest that Rochester has seen.

The Farmer’s Almanac predicted a frigid and snowy winter for much of the country, including New York. The snowiest parts of winter are predicted to be late December through most of January and mid-February.

More: How much snow will we get this winter? Here’s what the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts

More: It’s an El Niño winter. What that means for Rochester.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: How many inches of snow does Rochester NY get? A month-by month look