Back to All Alerts
White Christmas? What Are The Odds
December 3, 2024 at 03:04 PM EST
By WeatherBug Meteorologists
Dreaming of a White Christmas? May the probability of one be on your side this year. A White Christmas is defined as greater than 1 inch of snow on the ground come Christmas Day. So, what are the chances your area fits this criteria?
Whether you’re in northern Minnesota or northern Oklahoma, there’s always a chance you could see a White Christmas, but the probabilities are different depending on your location in the U.S. Hint – the probability of a White Christmas in Minnesota is probably higher than Oklahoma.
If you’re looking for a White Christmas, just look to the north and west of the central Plains. With the Rocky Mountains just to the west, states like Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah have the highest chance of seeing white stuff on the ground come December 25th.
Snow cover is also historically expected in the central and northern California Sierra Nevada and the Oregon and Washington’s Cascades. In recent years, the snowpack has been fairly light or even non-existent but this year is a different story with ample amount of snow on the ground.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the higher you go in elevation, the higher the chance of having a White Christmas. Just look to the Appalachian Mountains in the East where low-to-moderate chances of a White Christmas extend from Pennsylvania into western North Carolina, albeit only about a 20 percent chance there.
For near 100 percent probability, look towards the interior parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where many residents typically feel the holiday cheer as they venture out to a winter wonderland.
If you’re in the central Plains or along the Northeast coast, you might just have to flip a coin as probabilities there are about 50 percent of having a White Christmas.
Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the Southeast Christmas Day, you might as well go online to weatherbug.com and take a look at the winter wonderland photos from the comfort of your own home!
Source: NOAA
Whether you’re in northern Minnesota or northern Oklahoma, there’s always a chance you could see a White Christmas, but the probabilities are different depending on your location in the U.S. Hint – the probability of a White Christmas in Minnesota is probably higher than Oklahoma.
If you’re looking for a White Christmas, just look to the north and west of the central Plains. With the Rocky Mountains just to the west, states like Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah have the highest chance of seeing white stuff on the ground come December 25th.
Snow cover is also historically expected in the central and northern California Sierra Nevada and the Oregon and Washington’s Cascades. In recent years, the snowpack has been fairly light or even non-existent but this year is a different story with ample amount of snow on the ground.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the higher you go in elevation, the higher the chance of having a White Christmas. Just look to the Appalachian Mountains in the East where low-to-moderate chances of a White Christmas extend from Pennsylvania into western North Carolina, albeit only about a 20 percent chance there.
For near 100 percent probability, look towards the interior parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where many residents typically feel the holiday cheer as they venture out to a winter wonderland.
If you’re in the central Plains or along the Northeast coast, you might just have to flip a coin as probabilities there are about 50 percent of having a White Christmas.
Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the Southeast Christmas Day, you might as well go online to weatherbug.com and take a look at the winter wonderland photos from the comfort of your own home!
Source: NOAA