Jingle bells, Jingle bells...yep, Christmas is on the horizon. And while there are a variety of holidays that folks celebrate across the Northeast U.S., the most popular question is, will there be a White Christmas this year? Between snow globes and holiday songs depicting calm, snowy scenes of holiday cheer, who doesn’t want a White Christmas? So, in the spirit of the season, let's take a look at the climatology of White Christmases in the Northeast, and talk a little about your chances of seeing one (at least according to history).
First, what is the official definition of a White Christmas. Well, it is described as having a snow depth on the ground of at least 1" on Christmas morning. This means that you don’t necessarily have to have a real-world snow globe in order to have an official "White Christmas". Climatology tells us that the further north you go, the better chance you have of a White Christmas. Places like Boston and Hartford have seen them about 20-25% of the time. However, if you travel further south into the Mid-Atlantic, then a White Christmas only occurs around 10% of the time.
Most of the time, an official White Christmas occurs due to snow on the ground from a previous storm. It's not always from snow falling just the night before on Christmas Eve. For example, a few people may remember a snowstorm that occurred on December 18 - 19th, 2009. This storm left plenty of snow across the region, which lingered through Christmas Day, thus an official White Christmas.
So, you may be thinking, "Hey! A White Christmas should have snow actually falling, not just snow on the ground! What gives?"
We get it. The official definition of a White Christmas may not feel like a true “White Christmas” to some, which is totally understandable. We took a look back and found that snow falling on Christmas Day is, for most places, a bit more likely than having 1” or greater already on the ground. In fact, around 30-35% of Christmas Days in Boston and Hartford have seen flakes fly, while the statistics steadily decrease to 15-25% as you head into New York City and across the Mid-Atlantic.
Whether you’re imagining a quiet holiday with falling snow on Christmas, or you’d rather avoid the white stuff due to traveling, we’ve got you covered. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for weather updates through the winter season, and happy holidays from all of us here at Weatherworks !!
