Billings vs Fargo, ND - Winter Weather (live, statistics)

[Trailhiker]

Having lived in Fargo, ND over the past four years, I definitely am used to harsh winters. For the most part, I don't mind it, but I would like to have slightly better weather.

So I am trying to get a comparison between the winters in Fargo and Billings, as Billings appears to be somewhat better.

I know Billings has cold snaps below zero, but are they weeks long at a time? In Fargo, we go weeks without going above 10F, even for highs. Getting above freezing in January or February is almost unheard of.

Needless to say, with temps that cold, snow does not melt. Whatever falls in November will most likely still be on the ground in March. New snow just piles on top of the old snow unless someone has shoveled or plowed it. Also, the snow in Fargo is very powdery in mid winter, and more wet at the beginning and end. Is it like that in Billings? Does the snow get a chance to melt, or is the ground white all winter?

Fargo does do a good job at handling snow and enforcing businesses to clear their sidewalks and parking lots. How is Billings with this matter?

If there is anyone out there who is familiar with both places, place let me know how you would compare the two cities.

[netwit]

We had a long time friend who taught in Moorhead and so my husband and I stayed with him many times. Being just to the north of you in Manitoba, from what I saw over a ten-year period, winters in Fargo are milder (okay, so it might not really count when you are talking about the difference between -30 and -40) but snowier than here.

But, out of curiosity (cabin fever actually - we had a hellish winter) I kept tabs on several areas in Montana,(we had been there in the summer on a road trip) comparing them to here just to prove to myself that we indeed have the worst weather in the world.

Billings had temps often in the 50s this past winter. A few days of genuine cold but absolutely nothing like what you get in Fargo or we get here. *Banging my head against the wall and cursing my ancestors - this so-called summer has been just terrible so far). Summer (July) in Billings/south-central Montana was very hot (95F-100F) but the same dry heat we usually get here in Manitoba and Minnesota/N. Dakota.

Unless this was an exceptionally warm winter for them, they are so far better off than we are, it's unbelievable.

[NYMTman]

Billings is probably the warmest spot in Montana. Much warmer than North Dakota in the winter, although it does get more snow/moisture.

[TypicalCalifornian]

One can visit yahoo, weather, averages and records and get the scientific answer for comparison purposes, e.g., Bilings

Records and Averages

View: English | Metric
Daily Records and Averages at weather.com

[h&j]

Originally Posted by NYMTman

Billings is probably the warmest spot in Montana. Much warmer than North Dakota in the winter, although it does get more snow/moisture.

Thanks for the info on Billings weather. We are moving to the area and my wife is impressed with your weather info.

[NYMTman]

lol, I'm a weather nerd

It's a hobby of mine.

[MimzyMusic]

Really compared to ND, most of Montana might as well be Hawaii.

But the cold snaps are VERY harsh.

[Darthfrodo]

Hands down, Billings is better weather. They don't plow the streets as well as they could but the snow usually melts within a week or so after falling. It can get cold on occasion, but the winters are usually mild compared to ND. We had a week of -22 last Dec. but at the time I was in Vegas, AND IT SNOWED THERE. What was the temp in Fargo last Dec? Usually it only gets below zero for one or two days each winter, so it's not bad. And unlike ND, there are mountains here to look at.

[Trailhiker]

Originally Posted by Darthfrodo

Hands down, Billings is better weather. They don't plow the streets as well as they could but the snow usually melts within a week or so after falling. It can get cold on occasion, but the winters are usually mild compared to ND. We had a week of -22 last Dec. but at the time I was in Vegas, AND IT SNOWED THERE. What was the temp in Fargo last Dec? Usually it only gets below zero for one or two days each winter, so it's not bad. And unlike ND, there are mountains here to look at.

Last December was awful in Fargo. We had our snowiest month on record. 33.5 inches. We had what they called the worst blizzard in 12 years on Dec 14th. It snowed a foot with winds sustained at 50mph. It was super cold too, with most highs below 10F and pretty much every low well below zero.

All that snow stuck around all winter, and it just kept piling up. Then, in March, it all started to melt and the Red River in Fargo flooded as it reached 23 feet above flood stage.