Dreaming of a white Christmas? The Old Farmer’s Almanac forecast is in
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Camilla is the Homes Staff Writer and covers everything to do with homes and gardens. She has a wealth of editorial experience, mounting over 30 years, and covers news and features, tests products for reviews and compiles buying guides. Her work has appeared in business and consumer titles, including Ideal Home, Real Homes, House Beautiful, Homebuilding & Renovation, and Kitchen & Bathroom Business. She’s even appeared on the cover of Your Home, writing about her own house renovation. Although she’s obsessed with decorating her home, she also enjoys baking and trying out the latest kitchen appliances. But when she’s not inside, you’ll find her pottering about in her yard, tending to her vegetable patch or taking in her prized hydrangeas. She also enjoys keeping fit, and if she's not on a spin bike trying to keep up with the class, she'll be in the pool, or trying to perfect her headstand in a yoga class.
Since I flipped my calendar over to November, I feel I can officially start thinking about Christmas. The weather forecasters at The Old Farmer’s Almanac are thinking about it too.
But while I’m gathering the ingredients to make homemade mincemeat, they’ve been checking the skies for snow and whether we’ll have a white Christmas this year.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a white Christmas can be declared when their is at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day. It doesn’t have to snow on December 25th, as long as a decent covering remains.
Their newly released winter outlook divides the continent into starkly contrasting camps, with the chance of a white Christmas varying by region.
A white Christmas
There are only three regions where the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a white Christmas for sure. If you live in the Northeast, the High Plains and Alaska, you can expect a decent covering of snow on Christmas Day.
Chance of a white Christmas
Although only three regions have a guaranteed white Christmas, a few others have a good chance of a flurry, including the Lower Lakes, Ohio Valley, the High Plains, and the Pacific Northwest. And the Appalachians are divided; if you live in the north, you’re unlucky to see snow, but there is a chance for those in the south. Better luck next year
If you were hoping for a white Christmas, you will be disappointed if you live in the Atlantic Corridor, the Southeast, Florida, the Deep South, and the Upper Midwest. If you live in the Heartland, Texas-Oklahoma, the Desert Southwest, the Pacific Southwest and Hawaii, you will also go without.
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If you’re curious about your odds of having a snow, the NOAA has published a map which shows the historical chances of having a white Christmas, using data from 1991 to 2020. But do remember, this map is based on historical data.