Winter storm hits, blanketing northeastern states in snow
Arctic air brings snow and single-digit temperatures to northeastern U.S. states
Would you like to have a white Christmas? That’s the question snow lovers ask every year as the holidays approach.
While a white Christmas is all but certain in some regions, a return of milder air and storms before the holidays will play a crucial role in accumulating snow on Christmas morning in parts of the Midwest and Northeast, according to AccuWeather.
“The start of this winter was noticeably cold and snowy for millions of people,” Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s chief long-distance expert, said in an email to USA TODAY. But “that frigid, stormy pattern won’t continue through the holidays.”
“More than 45 percent of the United States was covered in snow in early December. Snow lovers may be disappointed in many towns this Christmas. Pacific air flowing over the Rocky Mountains could warm the snow that melted in many places just before the holidays,” Pastelok said. “In areas where there are several centimeters of snow on the ground and the air is cold, you may be lucky to have a white Christmas.”
Where is a white Christmas most likely to occur?
For snow lovers, a white Christmas is almost guaranteed in 2025 in some parts of the central and northern Rocky Mountains.
AccuWeather says a white Christmas is firmly in store for high-elevation areas from Wyoming and Montana to Utah and Colorado, with a 40 to 75 percent chance of snow on the ground in areas just outside the mountain ranges.
Many areas in the lee of the Great Lakes and within the typical lake-effect snow region are also expected to see a white Christmas. Snow is more likely in some of the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains, especially New England.
Colder air could push into the Northeast before Christmas, with snow likely to linger in some places.
Map showing AccuWeather’s predictions for a White Christmas in 2025
What is an official white Christmas?
Snow does not have to fall on December 25th to meet the National Weather Service’s definition of a white Christmas. All you need is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground. Small amounts of snow are not counted. But snow falling during the day definitely adds to the Christmas spirit.
According to 21 years of data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an average of 38% of the 48 lower states will receive an inch of snow on Christmas Day.
Since 2003, that percentage has varied widely from year to year, from just 17.6% in 2023 to 63% of the continental United States in 2009, according to Weather.com.
Where the snow melts as you warm up before the holidays
Meteorologists say the return of milder air before Christmas will bring dramatic changes in temperatures across much of the east-central United States.
“The first half of the month was like Christmas time in some areas where we saw the first snow and bitter cold,” Pastelok said. “The first week of December saw snow on the ground from Texas and Oklahoma to Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. Most of that snow is long gone.”
As of December 16, 28% of the lower 48 states were covered in snow, according to NOAA.
“In the Northeast and southern coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic, fresh snow from last weekend’s winter storms could melt in many locations as temperatures warm before Christmas,” Pastelok told USA TODAY.
holiday week storm
Long-term experts say storms are expected in the days leading up to Christmas, potentially bringing snow and ice to parts of the Great Lakes and the interior Northeast.
“The storm could bring fresh snow just in time for Christmas morning. The exact path of the storm will determine which areas will be covered in fresh snow and which towns may be soaked in rain instead,” Pastelok said. “Right now, it looks like areas north of I-80 could see some snow. South of I-80, most of the rain is expected.”
The rear of the storm could bring a few snow showers and storms to some areas where it was mostly rain.
The nation’s fascination with white Christmas dates back to 1942, when Bing Crosby first sang the wistful song in the movie “Holiday Inn.” The lyrics, written by Irving Berlin, evoke romantic images of Christmases past, “just like the Christmases I used to know.” A second film, “White Christmas,” also starring Crosby, was released in 1954.
