Missed it by that much.
The “it” I’m talking about here is a white Christmas, although for those of us in Billings and basically across the entire eastern half of the state waking up on Dec. 26, it might not feel that way.
But technically a white Christmas is defined by having at least half an inch of snow on the ground at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning, which is a benchmark that we did not meet this year after six straight years of white Christmases and nine out of the last 10 years.
Since records have been kept in Billings beginning in 1934, we have had almost exactly a 50 percent chance of seeing a white Christmas.
While we narrowly missed on the criteria for a white Christmas, the flakes began to fall around 6 p.m. and continued overnight, piling up our biggest dose of the white stuff yet this season.
Snowfall totals in Billings around 3.5 inches were widely reported after the snow shifted east by early in the morning.
Here are some other early totals from across the region (with the caveat that snow is still falling around the eastern border):
| Miles City | 2.7” |
| Roundup | 3” |
| Livingston | 1-3” |
| Sheridan | 1.4” |
| Colstrip | 4” |
| Columbus | 3” |
| Rapelje | 3.5” |
| Laurel | 2” |
For a complete list of snow totals as of 8 a.m. Wednesday follow this link: https://nwschat.weather.gov/p.php?pid=201812261535-KBYZ-NOUS45-PNSBYZ
The sad take away here, specifically for the skiers and snowboarders out there, is that while almost four inches of fresh fluffy powder fell here in Billings, Red Lodge Mountain only had one inch in its snow report Wednesday morning.
But it should still make for a good day of skiing for those taking the day off work to head to the mountain. Just a reminder to drive safely as we have not had to deal with the wintery conditions on the road much yet this season and the highways are slick in many places. Check out the road reports before doing any highway driving this season.
