BEMIDJI 鈥� After an unseasonably warm and dry start to December, the Bemidji area finally saw its first substantial snowfall of the season on Friday night into Saturday when the area was coated with a few inches of fresh flakes.
As a result of the snowfall, on Saturday morning the Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a no-travel advisory in northwest Minnesota due to high winds causing blowing snow and limited visibility.
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鈥淣o travel is advised on U.S. Highway 2 from Crookston to East Grand Forks or State Highway 200 from Ada to the North Dakota border as strong winds, blowing and drifting snow and whiteout conditions are making travel difficult or impossible,鈥� a release said. 鈥淣o travel advised means that the roadway condition has deteriorated and/or visibility has been reduced to the point that it is very dangerous to travel.鈥�
Though some of the 2-6 inches of snow the area received is still clinging to the ground for now, the snow will likely be gone in the blink of an eye with warmer days in the forecast.
According to the National Weather Service鈥檚 extended forecast for Bemidji, temps could reach 41 degrees on Thursday and are expected to hold steady in the high 30s throughout the weekend, with a slight chance of rain on Friday.
With not much chance of snow in the extended forecast, many Bemidjians might be wondering if they鈥檒l be missing out on a white Christmas this year.
鈥淔rom 1899 to 2022 there have been 36 鈥榖rown Christmases,鈥� with either a zero or a 鈥榯race鈥� reported for snow depth on Dec. 25 in the Twin Cities,鈥� the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently reported. 鈥淭he last such instance was in 2021 when warm conditions melted all remaining snow on the 24th and in the overnight hours before the morning observation.鈥�
A white Christmas is defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25. The DNR says that a white Christmas is reported about 71% of the time in the Twin Cities, based on snow depth measurements from the past 124 years.
According to the DNR, northern Minnesota is one of the few non-alpine climates in the U.S. where a white Christmas is "almost a sure bet."
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Based on data from the Bemidji Airport gathered by the DNR, in 65 recorded years at least one inch of snow has been reported on Christmas Day in 92% of them, with at least 5 inches reported in 65% of them.
鈥淗istorically, we have a very good chance at a 鈥榃hite Christmas,鈥欌�� a Beltrami County Emergency Management Facebook post made on Monday read. 鈥淭his year, not so certain 鈥� With temps in the 40s coming up and limited chances of (precipitation), it鈥檚 looking increasingly likely we might not have snow for Christmas this year.鈥�
The Trust Project
