I just looked at the forecast for Minot, ND. They get “snaps” too — from cord, to wicked cold. But most of this Dec., it just looks like really cold. -45 deg. wind chill forecast for this Sat.
Incidentally, while poking around, I found an interesting pattern. At the Paducah, KY, NWS office, for example, they report ONE “cold snap” of over 50 deg. F, since 1996 (through 2016), with another forecast this weekend. But, from 1950 - 1995, there were 26 such occurrences. So much for the weather getting “more extreme”.
http://www.weather.gov/pah/ExtremeTemperatureDrop
I went back and looked again: The Paducah NWS recorded a humid 72 deg. F this afternoon — headed to 18 by morning, and 7 deg. F by Monday morning. Might be some sort of all time record for them? -5 wind chill by Monday Morning, too — not extraordinary, but for the area, the drop sure is.
If there was a bit of snow, that Monday morning low would be even lower...