Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Well, your chances for Christmas snow in Northeast Ohio are rising this year!
So, how would you define a White Christmas? Most folks say it's when they see a coating of snow on the ground on Dec. 25. Others only need to see a few snowflakes falling from the sky on Christmas Day.
As a purist, I'd like to see some snow on the ground to call it an actual White Christmas. And by that criteria, a White Christmas occurs roughly every 3 years or so across Northern Ohio.
We haven't had snow on the ground on Christmas Day here since 2013. On Dec. 25, 2013, we had 1 inch of snow on the ground at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and a few flakes fell from the sky that day.
The most snow ever measured on the ground in Greater Cleveland for Christmas Day was 13 inches back in 2004. Two years earlier, we had the most snowfall for any Dec. 25 with 10.2 inches!
December 2017 started out promising enough...2 weeks of bitter cold, plus a good coating of snow for everyone. But this week's brief warm spell has turned all that snow to melted mush.
So, can we salvage some yuletide flakes this year? I say the answer is YES!
A strong cold front will drop across the area on Saturday. Behind that front, we get another shot of cold air for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. With cold air in place, the chances for at least a little snow on the ground is on the increase. In fact, several computer guidance products bring scattered snow showers into Northern Ohio Sunday evening and continue the threat of scattered snow through Christmas Day.
Right now, there is a 60 to 70 percent chance for at least a little snow on the ground for your Christmas celebrations!
