Will Monroe County have snow on the ground for Christmas day?
“The prospect of a white Christmas is not looking high,” said Kevin Cooper, atmospheric/environmental science dean at Monroe County Community College. “I would give it a 20% or less chance for a white Christmas, which is defined as 1-inch of snow or more Christmas morning at 7 a.m.”
“The possibility of a white Christmas in our area is 30-35%, based on the latest 30-year average,” Cooper added.
Cooper thinks our “very slight possibility” for a white Christmas is an overnight system predicted for Christmas Eve.
“Christmas Eve night, the one possibility is we may have some light snow or freezing rain with another system overnight, which would mostly be light. So, there is an outside chance some snowflakes could be in the air late on Christmas Eve. So, I don’t give (a white Christmas) 0% for the very slight possibility we get a little more in the way of precipitation Christmas Eve night before it warms up Christmas day,” Cooper said.
He said warmer temperatures during Christmas week will melt any snow that may fall in the coming days.
“Despite the two weeks of early snow cover we just had, temperatures on Tuesday next week (Dec. 23) and Christmas Eve will rise above freezing, so that probably will melt anything we have the next few days,” Cooper said.
Cooper predicts Christmas day also will be relatively warm.
“For Christmas day itself, it will warm into the low 40s, with some light rain or drizzle,” he said.
What’s expected for New Year’s?
“After Christmas, (there will be) a day or two with a big warm up before an arctic front comes through on the 27th, bringing colder weather back and chances of snow showers into New Year’s,” Cooper said.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Will Monroe Co. have a white Christmas? Local professor gives prediction
Reporting by Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
