Let It Snow. One Montana Town Is Guaranteed To Have A White Christmas

One Montana town has a 100% chance of a white Christmas. 

It’s that time of year when many Montanans are wondering if we’ll have snow on the ground on Christmas Day. For a 100% chance of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in Montana, you’ll need to visit Cooke City. 

Freshly fallen snow is much more likely for Montana towns with higher altitudes, of course. Bozeman, Whitefish, Thompson Falls, and others will almost always have snow on December 25, while in cities like Billings or Miles City, it’s more of a 50/50 chance. Data from Weather.gov indicates as a state, Montana has a 56.6% chance of receiving at least one inch of snow on Christmas. 

100% Chance of a White Christmas 

According to snowfall data gathered between 1991 and 2022, only Cooke City, MT will have a guaranteed white Christmas, but other high-elevation communities have at least a 90% chance of a white Christmas. They include: 

• Hebgen Lake 99.7% chance 
• Sula 98.6 % chance 
• Lindbergh Lake (near Flathead Lake) 98.3% 
• Seeley Lake 97.3% 
• Libby 94.7% 
• Whitefish 91.5% 
• Bozeman 91.1% 

Red Lodge has an 89.1% chance and Heron (Sanders County) rounds out the Top Ten spots with an 85% chance of getting at least one inch of snow on Christmas in Montana, according to the report shared by Betcarolina.com. We're surprised that West Yellowstone, MT didn't rank higher. It seems to snow there every day for nine months out of the year. The report noted that only 40% of Montanans are hoping for a white Christmas. 

Cooke City is a winter wonderland. 

Or a frozen hell, depending on how much you love snow. At 7,800 feet elevation, the mountain town receives a ton of snow. It’s measured in feet, not inches over the winter season. The snow typically falls early in Cooke City and sticks around till June. With Yellowstone National Park on one side and the towering Beartooth Mountains on the other, Cooke City is a popular snowmobiling destination.