Snow In Bismarck: Does This Mean We Will Have A White Christmas?

Bismarck and much of North Dakota is covered in snow and ice this morning.

I just got off the phone with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota and we officially saw about two and half inches of snow.  We likely would've had snowfall totals double that but because of the warm ground, it took a long time before the snow began to accumulate.

The roads across the area are very slippery.  I had several pictures of cars in the ditch sent to me this morning (including the photo used for this article), so please slow down and allow a lot of space between you and another vehicle.  Intersections are especially slippery as road crews have not sanded all the roads yet.

Now that we have snow again, does this mean a "white" Christmas for Bismarck and parts of North Dakota?

That was the question I posed to the National Weather Service in Bismarck, and the answer is "not likely".  We have several melting days ahead of us next week.  Here's the forecast for next week from the National Weather Service in Bismarck.

Highs around 40 or better starting Wednesday will likely melt most of this snow.  The representative of the National Weather Service in Bismarck told me he feels it doesn't look good for a "white" Christmas for us this year.  This is very unusual for Bismarck and rarely happens in North Dakota.

Looking at the long-range forecast from the Weather Channel for Bismarck confirms the NWS outlook.

Virtually no snow chances through December 23rd.  Unless Santa has a little Christmas magic coming our way on Christmas Eve it looks to be "BROWN" for Bismarck and much of North Dakota.