Overview
- NOAA projects Dec. 21–25 to run warmer than normal across much of the country, and the National Weather Service expects Dec. 23–29 warmth with the Plains and South most favored.
- The outlook stems from a west-to-east jet stream pattern that curbs repeated cold blasts from Canada.
- Milder conditions are expected to melt significant snowpack in the Midwest and Northeast, reducing the likelihood of a white Christmas for many large cities.
- A storm late this week is forecast to bring heavy precipitation as far north as Michigan and Maine, which will influence snow cover heading into the holiday.
- Snow on Christmas morning remains most plausible in the Mountain West, northern Plains, Upper Midwest, northern New England and Great Lakes belts, with a white Christmas defined as at least 1 inch on the ground and historical odds above 90% in places like Marquette and Duluth.