When at least 1 inch of snow is on the ground on Christmas morning, that is considered a White Christmas in meteorology. This means it doesn’t have to be snowing all day on Christmas for it to occur.
When at least 1 inch of snow is on the ground on Christmas morning, that is considered a White Christmas in meteorology. This means it doesn’t have to be snowing all day on Christmas for it to occur.
Christmas is just around the corner, and we’re getting an early preview of who could wake up to a layer of snow on the ground this year.
The Mountain West, along the Canadian border in the upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes, and large parts of the interior Northeast have the highest chances of receiving at least a 1-inch blanket of snow on the ground.
In other parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and some of the lower altitudes of the West, lesser odds of a white Christmas remain.
From late this week until the first part of Christmas week, no more widespread snowstorms are predicted east of the Rockies. A cooler weather pattern in parts of the central and eastern states may develop as we enter the Christmas holiday late next week. It’s too soon to predict if any major snowfall will be caused by the colder weather pattern.
Based on climatological averages from 1981 to 2010, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York, have a historical chance of a white Christmas in any given year.