Will we have a white Christmas in Rhode Island this year? Keep dreaming, meteorologists say.

If you're dreaming of a white Christmas, keep dreaming – all the way until Christmas of 2024.

"Those hoping for a white Christmas will need to wait for another chance in 2024," the National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion on Monday.

The weather service repeated the message, with the same wording, in Tuesday's forecast discussion, apparently making a point to those of us disbelieving true believers still hoping for a Christmas miracle.

To make sure we weren't misinterpreting the often-complicated meteorological jargon, we followed up with a call to the weather service's office in Taunton, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.

"Any chance we'll have a white Christmas?" we asked.

"No chance," answered meteorologist Kyle Pederson without hesitating even a split-second to spare the caller's feelings.

"It will be too warm, and we're not expecting any significant precipitation in the next week," Pederson added.

What will the weather be on Christmas Day?

As of Tuesday, the forecast for Christmas Day in the Providence area calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 47 degrees. Christmas Eve looks chilly, with a low of about 30 degrees, but clear.

Look at the bright side – those of us who don't drive sleighs will have an easier time dashing to Grandma's house.

More: How New England's winter economy and chances of a white Christmas are changing

How often does Rhode Island have a white Christmas?

Although our hopes have been dashed painfully early this year, the chances of a white Christmas in Southern New England aren't great in any given year.

Based on observations from 1991 to 2020, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gives Warwick, specifically Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, just a 17% chance of a white Christmas in any year, according to an interactive map by the Climate Prediction Center.

Cities and towns in northwestern Rhode Island, such as North Foster, 43%, and Woonsocket, 36%, have a better chance.

"Alaska. Minnesota. Maine. Upstate New York. The Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Practically anywhere in Idaho. And of course, the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada. These are the parts of the United States where weather history suggests you want to be if you're looking for the best chance of a white Christmas," the Climate Prediction Center says in text with its interactive map.

When was the last time Providence had a white Christmas?

The Providence area hasn't had a Christmas-card-worthy white Christmas since 2009, when there was 5 inches of snow on the ground. Providence met the definition of a white Christmas (at least 1 inch of snow on the ground) on Christmas morning in 2021 after 2.2 inches fell on Christmas Eve, but the temperature warmed on Christmas Day and the beautiful blanket was washed away by rain and drizzle.

December 2023 hasn't set a good stage for a snow-globe Christmas show. Through the first 18 days of the month, the average temperature in the Providence area, 41.1 degrees, is 4 degrees above normal.

Just a trace of snow has fallen this month, when the average December brings more than 6 inches of snow to the area.

More: Get into the holiday spirit with our guide to Christmas in Rhode Island

If only it had been about 30 degrees colder for Monday's storm, Southern New England would have fallen under a thick blanket of snow that might have lasted until Christmas and beyond.

The storm dropped more than 5 inches of rain in some parts of Rhode Island. According to the weather service's Pederson, 1 inch of rain would generally translate to 10 inches of snow.

Fifty inches of snow?

Maybe missing a white Christmas this year is OK after all.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI weather: White Christmas chances basically zero for RI in 2023