White Christmas forecast: Blizzard to leave much of nation covered in snow for holiday weekend
A dangerous blizzard intensified into a bomb cyclone Friday morning as it walloped the Midwest and Great Lakes, with damaging winds also eyeing the East Coast and contributing to a travel nightmare for millions ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend.
Lake-effect snow in Northeast to wind down by Sunday night
A major winter storm has brought blizzard conditions to multiple states. As the storm heads into Canada, the lake-effect snow will take over. Strong winds within the lake bands will continue to cause blizzard conditions in western New York and Michigan.
There's something magical about waking up on Christmas morning when there's snow on the ground, and chances are increasing that millions of people will experience a white Christmas this year.
(FOX Weather)
A dangerous blizzard intensified into a bomb cyclone Friday morning as it walloped the Midwest and Great Lakes, with damaging winds also eyeing the East Coast and contributing to a travel nightmare for millions ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend.
Snowfall totals from this winter storm are expected to be highest in the western Great Lakes region, where some areas could see a foot of snow or more due to enhancement from lakes Superior and Michigan. This includes portions of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Here's a closer look at which parts of the U.S. have the highest – and lowest – chance of seeing an inch or more of snow on the ground to make it an official white Christmas this year.
WHAT ARE THE HISTORICAL ODDS OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS EACH YEAR?
North
(FOX Weather)
Blizzard Warnings are in effect for more than 9 million people in the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, including Dickinson in North Dakota, Pierre in South Dakota, Rochester in Minnesota, Des Moines in Iowa, South Bend in Indiana, Grand Rapids in Michigan and Buffalo in New York.
That will help increase the chances of a white Christmas in many areas.
The Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and most of Michigan have the best shot at seeing a white Christmas this year.
Northwestern Nebraska, northern Iowa, parts of Illinois, including Chicago, and Indiana, also have the best chance of having more than an inch of snow on the ground to make it an official white Christmas.
South
(FOX weather)
Even areas to the west and south could luck out.
"It's very likely that we're going to see a white Christmas across the Northwest, especially the interior," FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "And there is a chance that we could see a white Christmas get as far south as places like St. Louis," Merwin said.
Chances of a white Christmas are much lower in the southern U.S., but some areas could still wake up to see snow on the ground.
A white Christmas is possible from Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma through Missouri, northern Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
East
(FOX Weather)
The winter storm that's impacting the Midwest and Great Lakes will slide off to the east by the end of the week, increasing the likelihood of a white Christmas in parts of the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and New England.
People living in interior New York state and the higher terrain in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are all very likely to see a white Christmas.
Even parts of western Massachusetts are likely to have some snow on the ground on Christmas.
The higher terrain of the Appalachian Mountains running through Pennsylvania and West Virginia has a chance of seeing a white Christmas this year. The chances drop when you head farther south and into lower elevations.
West
(FOX Weather)
The western U.S. will see the highest likelihood of seeing a white Christmas this year, most of that due to elevation.
The Rockies, Sierra Nevada and Cascades all run through the region and will have the highest chances of seeing snow on the ground on Christmas morning.
Lower elevations in Washington state, such as Seattle, and western Oregon, will have lower chances of experiencing a white Christmas.
Sunny Southern California has no shot at seeing snow on the ground on Christmas. It's a different story in Northern California, however. Areas such as Redding have the best shot of having a white Christmas.
What will the weather be on Christmas?
(FOX Weather)
Temperatures will be bitterly cold as a dangerous blast of arctic air moves across the nation.
Fargo, North Dakota, is expecting a high temperature on Christmas in the single digits. Chicago won't be too far behind, with an expected high temperature in the teens for the Windy City.
It will likely be more wet than white if you're among those living in the coastal Northwest.
It will be below freezing in several areas in the East, including Boston and Baltimore, where high temperatures will hover in the upper 20s.
Frigid air will linger in the Southeast, where Atlanta should be just above the freezing mark on Christmas, and Miami will see some rain and a high temperature in the mid 50s. Highs across Central and North Florida are only expected to be in the 50s, ranking among their coldest Christmases in several years.
It looks like Los Angeles will be one of the country's warm spots, with a high temperature in the upper 70s.