Here are the odds - Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Depending on where you live in the U.S., your odds of having snow on the ground on Dec. 25 may be pretty go or nearly non-existent. Of course, there’s a first time for everything!

First, what is a White Christmas? For some people, having a few flurries counts. For others, it’s accumulating snow. According to NOAA, you need to have one inch of snowfall on the ground for it to be officially a White Christmas. If you are hoping for a White Christmas, check out the WeatherRadar and keep an eye on our 14-day weather trend.

California’s Sierra Nevada, the northern and central Rockies, and Washington's and Oregon’s Cascades have the highest odds of having at least one inch of snow on Christmas Day. So, if you want an almost guaranteed winter wonderland for Christmas, you’ll want to head somewhere like Aspen, Colo.

The northern Plains and Upper Midwest also have good odds for a White Christmas. Northern North Dakota, the upper peninsula of Michigan, northern Minnesota, and northern Wisconsin have a 90% or greater chance of snow on the ground on Christmas Day. In Minneapolis, the chances of a White Christmas hover around 70%.

The further south you go, the less likely snow will be on the ground on Dec. 25. Cities like Chicago and Detroit have a 50% or less chance of a White Christmas. For big cities in the Northeast, like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, the chances for snow on Christmas hover in the 10 to 25 percent range.

While you're unlikely to have a White Christmas in the South, it can happen. Nashville, Tenn., had one inch of snow on the ground in 2010, and Roanoke, Va., last had a White Christmas in 2020. Both Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., had snow on the ground on Christmas Day in 1989.