Is It A Big Deal If No Snow Falls On Christmas Day?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, or opt for a Christmas in the Caribbean

The old Farmers Almanac predicted that a wide area of the country would likely receive snow over Christmas. According to several meteorologists, long-range prediction, Christmas week will probably be snowy across large parts of North America this year. There is a good chance you will find roads covered with snow on Christmas Day.

It is possible to get snow on December 25 in some cities, such as Vegas and New Orleans, but the odds are far below one percent. The holidays are right around the corner, but there is no guarantee cities in colder climates will be awakened by snow on December 25.

The colder, higher-altitude areas of the West are also at a higher risk for snow on December 25. The highest probability of snow on the ground on December 25 is roughly where you would expect it to be; parts of North
Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all have higher-than-90 percent chances, as do upstate New York and central New England.

In Canada, snow will be on the ground (or in the air) for a white Christmas in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, the Prairies, southern British Columbia, and far northern parts of Yukon and the Northwest Territories. While many parts of North America made it through the past winter with record snowfall, the winter outlook for the northern half of the U.S. is expected to be cooler than average, with heavy snowfall episodes across the Northern Plains, New England, and Great Lakes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a white Christmas as having one to several inches of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25. In the United States, the official definition of a white Christmas is that at least one in (2.5 cm) of snow must be on the ground on December 25 across the contiguous United States, while in Canada, the official definition is that over 2 centimetres (0.79 in) must be on the ground on Christmas Day.

Minneapolis-St is the largest urban area with the best odds for enjoying the traditional Xmas view. Paul, Minnesota, has a 74% probability of having at least an inch of snow on the ground. Scranton, Pennsylvania, gets slightly more snow on average every year – 46.5 inches – but has about a 1 in 3 shot at having a white Christmas every year.

That seems to be why places like Sioux City, Iowa — which gets an annual snowfall 8 inches lower than Bostons — are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to wind up with a white Christmas. New Jersey has not seen an overall white Christmas — considered to be one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day morning — since 2009, according to climate records from the National Weather Service and the New Jersey Office of the State Climatologist at Rutgers University. In December 2017, New
Jersey’s northernmost counties were treated to a white Christmas — but the rest of New Jersey saw zero snow.

The presence of snowfall on Christmas day for many symbolizes the official start of the holidays. Those who have never seen snow, especially at Christmas, will constantly feel they yearn to experience it. Whether it snows on Christmas day or not, it’s irrelevant. What is important is the opportunity to spend time with loved ones; due to the pandemic, that opportunity was lost, which makes gathering at Christmas this year all the more special.