There’s something magical about waking up on Christmas morning and there’s snow on the ground. And chances are increasing that millions of people will experience a white Christmas this year.
This year, a far-reaching, highly impactful winter storm system will affect millions of Americans across the country starting on Wednesday, with peak impacts expected from Thursday through early Saturday (Christmas Eve).
As the winter storm continues its trek across the nation, it’s very likely that the northern Plains and Upper Midwest and Great Lakes area will see a white Christmas with all the snow left behind. Some areas may see 1-2 feet of snow in the days leading up to the holiday. Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and the Dakotas look very likely to see a white Christmas.
Here’s a closer look at which parts of the U.S. have the highest – and lowest – chance of seeing an inch of snow or more on the ground to make it an official white Christmas this year.
Blizzard conditions are expected in parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes starting on Thursday, likely leading to devastating impacts on holiday travel across the region.
The Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and most of Michigan have the best shot at seeing a white Christmas this year.
Northern Nebraska, northern Iowa, parts of Illinois, including Chicago, and northern Indiana also have the best chance of having more than an inch of snow on the ground to make it an official white Christmas.
Even areas to the west and south could luck out as well.
“It’s very likely that we’re going to see a white Christmas across the Northwest, especially the interior,” FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “And there is a chance that we could see a white Christmas get as far south as places like St. Louis,” Merwin said.
Chances of a white Christmas are much lower in the southern United States, but some areas could still wake up to see snow on the ground.
A white Christmas is possible from Kansas and northern Oklahoma through Missouri, northern Arkansas and into the Kentucky and Tennessee valleys.
The winter storm that’s expected to have a significant impact on parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes will slide off to the east by the end of the week, increasing the likelihood of a white Christmas in parts of the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and New England.
People living in interior New York State and the higher terrain in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are all very likely to see a white Christmas.
Even western Massachusetts has a high likelihood of having some snow on the ground on Christmas.
The higher terrain of the Appalachian Mountains running through Pennsylvania and West Virginia has a chance of seeing a white Christmas this year. Still, when you head even further south and into lower elevations, the chances drop.
The western U.S. will see the highest likelihood of seeing a white Christmas this year, most of that due to the elevation.
The Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains and Cascade Mountains all run through the region and will all have the highest chances of seeing snow on Christmas morning.
Lower elevations in Washington State, like Seattle, and western Oregon will have lower chances of experiencing a white Christmas.
And sunny Southern California has no shot of seeing snow on the ground on Christmas. It’s a different story in Northern California, however. Those areas, like Redding, have the best shot of having a white Christmas.
Here’s the important Christmas forecast:
“We’re expecting some snow in the upper Midwest and the Midwest,” Merwin said. “So, the best chance of having a white Christmas in terms of having snow falling from the sky on Christmas Day will be in Fargo (North Dakota), maybe across Wisconsin and Iowa.”
And temperatures will be bitterly cold as a dangerous blast of arctic air invades the nation.
Fargo is expecting a high temperature on Christmas of only 5 degrees. Chicago won’t be too far behind, with an expected high temperature in the Windy City of about 9 degrees.
And if you’re among those living in the coastal Northwest, it will likely be more wet than white.
“The next system that’s moving through late this weekend is going to be a little too mild,” Merwin said. “So, although you have snow (Monday) and (Tuesday) in Seattle, it’s going to be a wet and rainy Christmas.”
It will likely be below freezing in several areas in the East, including Boston and Baltimore, where high temperatures around 30 degrees are expected.
Frigid air will linger in the Southeast, where Atlanta should be just above the freezing mark on Christmas, and Miami will enjoy some sunshine and a high temperature of about 62 degrees. Highs across central and northern Florida are only expected in the 50s, which would rank among their coldest Christmases in several years.
It looks like Los Angeles will be one of the country’s warm spots, with a high temperature of around 76 degrees.