Waking up on Christmas morning in Missoula, Montana used to mean looking out the window to see a beautiful valley covered in snow, a scene so beautiful and predictable that we almost took it for granted.
But lately, instead of that traditional view, Montanans have woken up to puddles and mud.
This isn’t just bad luck. These are the effects of climate change knocking on our front door.
According to the National Weather Service Winter Outlook 2025-2026, the Missoula Valley is more susceptible to marginal snow years, meaning some winters have significant snow, while others have less snow in the valley and more in the mountains. This is correlated to El Nino and La Nina patterns, and warming temperatures. For it to be an official white Christmas, there must be at least 1 inch of snow by 7:00 am on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service. Older studies from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Centers for Environmental Information, found that there is about a 60-70% chance of a white Christmas happening in Western Montana/Missoula area, but in recent years that has not been the case. According to KPAX, the warming temperatures is making the 1 inch of snow a lot harder to obtain, making it news that is not great for snow lovers.
The repercussions of climate change go beyond a pretty view. The Montana Wildlife Federation warns that this shortage of early season snow pack could lead to a large change in economics and the ecosystem. When there isn’t snow in the valleys or the low elevation mountains and hills by Christmas, it affects the whole ecosystem. Less snowpack means less runoff for our streams and rivers in the summer, which means warmer water temperatures that affect our fish populations. It also means a shorter season for winter recreational sports. The warming and shortened winters could mean that over 1,000 Montanans jobs in the Ski and Snowmobile industry could be lost by 2050, according to the Montana Wildlife Federation.
In an article from The Guardian, it shows how politicians often try to downplay climate change, but for Missoulians, including myself, watching the Clark Fork River run low in the summer and seeing barely enough snow to ski at our local resort, Snowbowl, are negative effects that are undeniable. The article specifically discusses how President Trump has dismissed the climate crisis calling it a “hoax,” while moving at a “breakneck pace” to get rid of environmental protections. These moves include withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, exiting the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, issuing an executive order to “drill baby drill” on millions of acres of public land and national forests, and initiating over 140 separate actions to weaken the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.
A brown Christmas in Missoula isn’t just disappointing, it is part of the larger issue of global climate change. If we value our Montanan way of life, like skiing, fishing, and our beautiful seasons, we have to recognize climate change is affecting us and we need to step up and treat it like the crisis it is, especially when the federal government is actively fueling the warmth that is melting our snow. Failure to speak up and protect our land and climate that defines us means trading away Missoula’s soul for a heartless industrial landscape and constant heat waves.
