White Christmas forecast: The best places in America to find snow on December 25

With Meteorologist expecting an Arctic blast soon, there is still no sure shot guarantee of whether snows will hit US cities by Christmas. But December is cold, and data shows that snowflakes are likelier than ever on the big day.

A “white Christmas” doesn’t require snow to fall on December 25. There just needs to be at least 1 inch of snow on the ground, as noted by USA Today. A small trace of snow does not count, but any snow falling on the day adds to the festive mood. On average, about 38% of the 48 contiguous states have at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day, based on 21 years of NOAA data.

White Christmas weather history

Snow coverage varies widely from year to year. For example, in 2023, only 17.6% of the U.S. had snow on Christmas, while in 2009 it was 63%, as per the report by Weather.com. Americans’ love for a white Christmas began in 1942 when Bing Crosby sang the song in the movie Holiday Inn.


The song, written by Irving Berlin, describes a nostalgic, snowy Christmas: “just like the ones I used to know.” Another Crosby movie, White Christmas, came out in 1954 and helped make the idea even more popular.

Best places for white Christmas

With snowfall on the horizon, multiple places like Alaska, Minnesota, Maine, Upstate New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Idaho, the Rockies, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are expected to go all white this Christmas.

Since the advent of record maintenance , Fairbanks, Alaska has seen flakes on the ground almost every Christmas. As of early December, Fairbanks already had 11 inches of snow on the ground. Other big cities with high chances of a white Christmas include Minneapolis, Green Bay, Buffalo, and Burlington, Vermont. As of December 8, these cities were already reporting snow-covered ground, a good sign for the holidays.

Historically, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, most of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and large parts of the Western mountain areas have a 90% or higher chance of a white Christmas, as cited by USA Today.

FAQs

Q1. What is a white Christmas in the USA?

A white Christmas means there is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on December 25, based on the weather service definition.

Q2. Which places in the U.S. have the best chance of a white Christmas?

Places like Alaska, Minnesota, Upstate New York, and the Rocky Mountains have the highest chances because they usually stay cold and snowy in December.