HELENA — Most years Montana is a pretty good place to be if you're dreaming of a white Christmas.
More often than not many places in Big Sky Country meet the official criteria of having snow on the ground when Santa comes to town.
But this year some areas, including the Helena Valley still have bare ground just days before the holiday. The mild weather, including temperatures in the 50s recently, means that is unlikely to change for Christmas Day 2024.
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The official criteria for a white Christmas is at least one inch of snow on the ground at 5 a.m.
Historically, most Montana cities have a 50% to 60% likelihood of a white Christmas. That means that almost half the years look more like this year with little or no snow on the ground.
The mountains fare much better than the valleys and cities, which are drier.
Montana's cities vary in their chance for snow on the ground at Christmas.
Great Falls has a 42% historical chance of a white Christmas. Helena and Havre are just a hair above 50% In Lewistown, the chance is 64% while Kalispell and Missoula sit around 70%. In Bozeman, the chances are above 75%, but your best is to head to West Glacier, where the odds are 96%.
Montana cities fare much better than some of those bigger U.S. cities.
- Seattle: 3.7%
- Philadelphia: 9%
- New York: 13%
- Boston: 25%
- Denver: 34%
If you want a near guarantee of a white Christmas, head to a little town in Colorado called Aspen. In Aspen, your chance of a white Christmas is 99.9%.
