North Dakota

When does it start snowing in North Dakota?

Williston North Dakota to be exact, Im going to be moving there in 1-2 months & I wanna know when it starts snowing there, and how much about how much inches, I know it is imposable to actually know but just on average thanks!

Haha, you asked the right person! I have a degree in meteorology from the University of North Dakota in 2007, and I am well versed in North Dakota weather. In general, you can expect the earliest snowfalls as early as October, but these are not common and rarely stick to the ground. November is well known for being the most miserable since it is, by climatological statistics, the cloudiest month of the year in ND. By mid November, expect increasing snowfall with snow beginning to stick by the mid to late portion of the month. December/Jan/Feb is the coldest with all snow sticking to the ground. It is typical to see 10 inches or so of snow per month during this period. March is typically the snowiest month, but buy this time it is warming up enough where snow begins to melt.

The worst months in my opinion are December/Jan/Feb because it can be brutally cold. Expect to see overnight lows as cold as -35 F out there (Williston is a known cold spot in the state because it is situated in a river drainage zone, kind of a mini valley). The wide open spaces are conducive to blizzards since nothing blocks the wind. Expect 40-50 inches of snow per year, but really, the bigger issue is blowing snow which can drift into piles 10-20 feet even with only 1-2 feet of snow on the ground.

Go here:http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=bis
go to the “Monthly Weather Summary”, choose Williston, and choose archive to see what happened each month last year. It will give snow totals per month with all sorts of other useful data including lows and highs.

Oh, and I recommend an engine block heater, you will need one!

North Dakota Least Visited State