DES MOINES, Iowa — Now that Christmas is less than weeks away, it's time to address the question on everyone's mind: Will it snow on Dec. 25?
We can't recreate the Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby masterpieces, but Local 5 can at least give you a decent idea on the likelihood of seeing snowfall for the upcoming Christmas holiday.
Even though central Iowa had quite a bit of snow over the Dec. 12 & 13 weekend, it may not necessarily turn out to be the white Christmas so many of us hope for each year.
Historically, the majority of Iowa has a decent shot at seeing snow for Christmas, whether it actually falls on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or whether it's already covering the ground.
Here's a list of the historical probability of seeing a white Christmas, based on your specific location around the state:
- Northern Iowa: 61-75% historical probability of a white Christmas
- North-central Iowa: 51-60% historical probability of a white Christmas
- Central Iowa: 41-50% historical probability of a white Christmas
- Southern Iowa: 26-40% historical probability of a white Christmas
For Christmas 2020, it is not looking overly promising to see snow on Christmas.
Despite the decent amount of snow that fell on Dec. 12, temperatures are forecast to climb above freezing by the end of the week, which will initiate melting around the state.
With ample sunshine expected as well, most of the snow will disappear quickly.
Snow chances are quite low over the next 8-10 days, so with melting and few opportunities for precipitation, it will be difficult for many areas to secure snow ahead of the holiday.
This does not necessarily mean it won't happen, but the chance is fairly low currently.
If Iowa does not have snow for Christmas 2020, this will mark three Christmases in a row without snowfall in Central Iowa. The last white Christmas in Des Moines occurred in 2017.
Even with a likely lack of snow for Christmas, this year has certainly been interesting in regards to wintry precipitation around Iowa.
Some parts of the state, like central Iowa, have recorded nearly a foot of snow already this season.
Meanwhile, the more typical snowy zones, such as northern and northwestern Iowa, have experienced far less.
The pattern is looking a bit drier moving forward through the end of December, so our best hope for snow on Christmas might just be any leftover clumps hidden in the shade that simply refuse to melt!
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