Where to go for snow on Christmas
AUSTIN (KXAN) — "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" is a song written by Irving Berlin and made famous through the talented voices of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Michael Buble, among many others. As we approach the Christmas weekend, perhaps many of you dream of somewhere with snow on the ground on Christmas morning.
How much snow? The National Weather Service says a white Christmas happens where there is at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. local time Christmas morning.
It is obvious that, over the years, climate change has made it so that places that consistently used to have a white Christmas don't have them as often anymore. For me, coming from the northeast, it was a regular occurrence that snow would be on the ground on December 25.
So, where should you go if you want to make snow angels this Christmas?
We see the greater chance of a white Christmas in the western part of the country from the Rockies westward to the intermountain west. That's a given. The upper Mississippi Valley into the upper Great Lakes also looks to have a better than 50% chance of being able to have a snowball fight on Christmas Day.
A small portion of the northeast gets to enjoy that snowy beginning from New York into New England.
The La Nina weather pattern that Central Texas has been in for months precludes any snow being on the ground. In fact, our Christmas morning forecast is looking sunny with dry grounds. But, you knew that.
One has to go back to December 25, 1939 when a trace of snow was measured in Austin. It's the only day where snow has been reported on Christmas Day since 1898, the first year records were kept.