Published: December 12,2014
If your Christmas wish is to walk through a winter wonderland, there are a few places you can go to bring up your chances.
In a press release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) put together data of the continental United States that shows the probability of your state getting at least 1 inch of snow on Dec. 25.
We used that same data -- U.S. Climate Normals from 1981-2010 -- to create the map above. These climate normals are climatological averages from the last three decades, including temperature normals, precipitation, snowfall and other factors, as collected by the National Climate Data Center. As you can see on the map, the Northwest is the most likely to see snow on Christmas Day and the South least likely.
(MORE: December Thaw Gone Wild: Record Highs for Northwest, Midwest While Florida Sees Below-Average Temperatures)
According to NOAA, historical data says the following areas are the most likely to see a white Christmas: Idaho, Minnesota, Maine, Upstate New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
NOAA’s data, however, doesn’t take into account this year’s interesting climate patterns.
“As of Dec. 12, only 17.5 percent of the contiguous U.S. was covered with snow, which is a quite a change from mid-November when 50.4 percent of the country had snow cover. December, overall, has been warmer for much of the country, especially parts of the West where we have seen record high temperatures,” said weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. “Temperatures are expected to remain near to above-average for most of the country over the next one to two weeks. An active pattern also looks likely heading towards Christmas week, which may bring the chance for snow.”
(MORE: White Christmas 2014 Poll - Which Cities Will See Snow?)
In November, cold records were broken across the country. Snowfall records were broken in the Carolinas, Maine, Minnesota, Georgia and Wisconsin.
MORE: Lake-Effect Snow Hammers South Buffalo, New York, Great Lakes
In a press release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) put together data of the continental United States that shows the probability of your state getting at least 1 inch of snow on Dec. 25.
We used that same data -- U.S. Climate Normals from 1981-2010 -- to create the map above. These climate normals are climatological averages from the last three decades, including temperature normals, precipitation, snowfall and other factors, as collected by the National Climate Data Center. As you can see on the map, the Northwest is the most likely to see snow on Christmas Day and the South least likely.
(MORE: December Thaw Gone Wild: Record Highs for Northwest, Midwest While Florida Sees Below-Average Temperatures)
According to NOAA, historical data says the following areas are the most likely to see a white Christmas: Idaho, Minnesota, Maine, Upstate New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
NOAA’s data, however, doesn’t take into account this year’s interesting climate patterns.
“As of Dec. 12, only 17.5 percent of the contiguous U.S. was covered with snow, which is a quite a change from mid-November when 50.4 percent of the country had snow cover. December, overall, has been warmer for much of the country, especially parts of the West where we have seen record high temperatures,” said weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. “Temperatures are expected to remain near to above-average for most of the country over the next one to two weeks. An active pattern also looks likely heading towards Christmas week, which may bring the chance for snow.”
(MORE: White Christmas 2014 Poll - Which Cities Will See Snow?)
In November, cold records were broken across the country. Snowfall records were broken in the Carolinas, Maine, Minnesota, Georgia and Wisconsin.
MORE: Lake-Effect Snow Hammers South Buffalo, New York, Great Lakes
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