Dreaming of a White Christmas? These Communities Have Waited a Long Time

Snow on Christmas Day is idyllic for many. And in recent years, most of the US have seen a “white Christmas.” But many parts of the country haven’t had snow on the ground on Dec. 25 in more than a decade.

The historical probability of having at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day is highest in the Rocky Mountains across Wyoming and Colorado, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The metric used for measuring snow accumulation is snow depth: the total depth of the new and old snow remaining on the ground at observation time. This differs from snowfall, which is the measurement of snow fallen since the previous snowfall observation.

Some places in the southern half of the country have never had snow on Christmas. Several others have waited decades since the last rare white Christmas in their area.

A belt of locations across the continent has not seen one since 2009, when a powerful blizzard swept across the country, dumping snow across the Midwest and the Eastern seaboard, as well as parts of Texas.

Of course, Christmas is just one day, and recorded snow depth on Dec. 25 has no bearing on the total amount of snow that may fall during the season. Snow may have fallen earlier in the season that may have melted by Christmas, or snow may fall later. And even when no snow accumulation is reported at one weather station, it’s possible snow may be on the ground nearby.

Compared to Christmases since 1970, last year’s holiday had the lowest average snow on the ground across the continental US. The chance for a white Christmas this year may be higher than last year, according to AccuWeather, but many areas will likely still not see any snow.