Dreaming of a white Christmas? Here is the Farmers’ Almanac’s Christmas forecast for WA

If you asked Santa for a white Christmas in Washington, you might be disappointed.

The Farmers’ Almanac Christmas predictions forecast has arrived for Dec. 24 to Dec. 27, and it’s a mixed bag across the United States.

For many states, rain showers are in order rather than snow, and the low-lying areas of Washington will most likely endure a soggy Christmas.

What is a white Christmas?

English writer Charles Dickens first popularized the idea of a “white Christmas” through his famous 1843 classic “A Christmas Carol.” A snow-covered Christmas is the backdrop to Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghostly visits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

The song “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby was then recorded in 1942 and has been played in households across the country every year since, cementing the idea in popular culture.

The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having at least one inch of snow on the ground.

According to weather data from 1981 to 2010, Puget Sound only has a 0-10% chance of a white Christmas, along with much of the western seaboard. The Cascade Mountains and northern Washington have close to a 100% chance of a white Christmas, while the Columbia Basin region has a 40% chance at most.

Snow west of the Cascades is typically harder to come by because the climate is affected by the Pacific Ocean, causing milder temperatures and more frequent rainfall. The low-lying areas of the Columbia River valleys, such as the Tri-Cities region, usually receive snow in January and February.

So what about this year?

The Farmers’ Almanac groups Washington in the Northwest region alongside Oregon and Idaho.

“Stormy greetings to you,” the Almanac predicts. “Christmas storms, especially along the Coastal Plain.”

Puget Sound will be in the path of those Christmas storms, while the lowlands of southeastern Washington stand a slightly better chance for a white Christmas. The Climate Prediction Center’s long-range forecast for Dec. 22 to 28 has Washington set for near-normal temperatures and a 50-60% chance of above-average rainfall.

The higher chance of precipitation means the Cascades and eastern Washington stand a higher chance of a white Christmas, but due to milder temperatures along the Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound residents may be looking at puddles rather than snowmen on Christmas day.

Traveling for Christmas?

Not going to be in Boise for Christmas, and want to know what the chances of a white Christmas are for your destination? Here’s what the Farmers’ Almanac predicts for other areas of the United States.

NORTHEAST AND NEW ENGLAND

New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C.

“Sorry snow lovers — your Christmas weather looks more wet than white! Showers in time for Christmas, then turning fair, colder.”

GREAT LAKES, OHIO VALLEY

Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin

“Merry mushy Christmas! Christmas weather: turning milder with a few showers of wet snow, rain.”

SOUTHEAST

Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

“Move over holiday sweaters — you may need holiday umbrellas instead! Showers for Christmas.”

NORTH CENTRAL

Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana

“White Christmas? Maybe! Snow over Rockies, Plains in time for Christmas.”

SOUTH CENTRAL

Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico

“Christmas snow in northern New Mexico; farther south and east, lower New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi Valley see rain.”

SOUTHWEST

California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona

“Stormy, especially along the California coast.”