White Christmas? Only in Rockies and Central Plains, forecasters say

The Rockies and central Plains are the only areas likely to see a white Christmas this year, forecasters said Sunday as unseasonably warm temperatures prevent snow from accumulating.

A persistently warm East and Midwest, along with a cold, wet West, is setting the table for what Americans can expect on Christmas morning, the Weather Channel said.

See photos of winter weather across the U.S:

It means this Christmas may have the least snow cover in New England in at least 13 years.

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Forecasting models predict some snow streaking into the central Plains Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, with flakes settling as far as eastern Colorado through to southern Minnesota and west Wisconsin.

However, snow landing elsewhere could melt before Christmas morning as another round of widespread warmth is likely to melt most of it away.

Meteorologists define a "white Christmas" as one on which there is at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning.

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