Chances of a White Christmas

According to current weather forecasts, we might get snow on December 25.

Christmastime is the one time of the year we like to see snow -- that is, those of us too old to have snowfall cancel school.

But New York City and my part of New Jersey are too far south to have significant snowfalls until the New Year. Granted, we've had snow before Halloween a couple of times, and a couple of times on Thanksgiving including an actual football-game-canceling blizzard in 1989. But we usually don't get our first significant snowfall -- say, more than an inch -- until January.

I can only remember snow being on the ground on December 25 about 5 or 6 times in my 52 years. Usually, it tries, but it's too warm, and it rains instead. Not a White Christmas, but a Wet Christmas. Yuck.

Note: These totals represent 1 inch or more of snow on the ground, regardless of whether it fell on December 24 or 25 or earlier:

Minneapolis: 95 times since 1899, or about 7 out of every 10 years

Buffalo: 90 times since 1871, or 3 out of 5

Cleveland: 28 times since 1969, or 3 out of 5

Milwaukee: 58 times since 1900, or 1 out of 2

Detroit: 54 times since 1900, or 2 out of 5

Chicago: 63 times since 1871, or 2 out of 5

Denver: 45 times since 1899, or 3 out of 8

Pittsburgh: 50 times since 1871, or 1 out of 3

Cincinnati: 16 times since 1916, or 1 out of 6

Boston: 28 times since 1872, or 1 out of 5

New York: 18 times since 1912, or 1 out of 6

Philadelphia: 9 times since 1940, or 1 out of 8

Baltimore: 12 times since 1872, or 1 out of 12

Washington: 9 times since 1884, or 1 out of 15

Seattle: 8 times since 1891, or 1 out of 17

I have to admit: Given how far north it is, Seattle surprised me, although they are one of the more recent cities with one:

Last "White Christmas"

Detroit: 2018

Buffalo: 2018

Minneapolis: 2018

Pittsburgh: 2017

Denver: 2017

Seattle: 2017

Chicago: 2013

Milwaukee: 2011

New York: 2010

Cleveland: 2010

Cincinnati: 2010

Detroit: 2010

Philadelphia: 2009

Boston: 2009

Baltimore: 2002

Washington: 2002

Some cities haven't seen snow at all in a long time:

Houston: February 15, 2021 (Earlier this year, so not that long)

St. Louis: January 11, 2020

Atlanta: January 17, 2018

Dallas: December 6, 2013

Los Angeles: January 17, 2007

Phoenix: December 6, 1998

Tampa: January 19, 1977

Miami: Also on January 19, 1977

San Francisco: February 6, 1976

San Diego: December 13, 1967