No matter how New Englanders feel about snow on any other day of the year, there’s certainly something magical about a white Christmas. Will there be a snowy holiday in Massachusetts this year? There’s a chance, but it’s a small one, according to the area’s meteorologists.
Christmas—and the first night of Hanukkah—is less than a week away on Wednesday, Dec. 25. Leading up to that date, temperatures will be cold enough for snow, but the skies are currently looking clear, noted WCVB Boston meteorologist Mike Wankum. “When the holiday arrives in the middle of the week, temperatures will be higher and moisture isn't expected to arrive until the following day,” he wrote in his weather blog. However, communities outside of Boston, notably past Worcester to the west and north into New Hampshire, have a higher chance of waking up to snow on Christmas morning, according to WCVB’s forecasters.
The executive weather producer at WBZ-TV, Terry Ellison puts the entire Commonwealth’s chance of a white Christmas at about 25%. (Let’s clarify: a “white Christmas” is officially defined by the National Weather Service as at least 1 inch of snow on the ground by 7am.) “A very weak disturbance” from the Great Lakes will make its way through New England “between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” Ellison said. “While the odds of this dropping an inch of snow just in the nick of time are low, at the very least it could mean some mood flurries in the air during Santa's ride or on Christmas Day!”
A low chance of having a white Christmas does not mean our area will be spared from winter weather ahead of the holidays. In fact, there’s a 50% chance of snow showers on Saturday, Dec. 21, as well potential wintry mix conditions this Friday. Keep an eye on the forecast if you’re planning to travel this weekend.
When was the last white Christmas in Massachusetts?
Longer ago than is typical! Boston could generally expect a white Christmas every five years or so, according to Wankum. But the last time we awoke on Christmas Day to at least 1 inch of snow on the ground was 2009—dang!
You might remember a snowy Christmas in 2017, but on that date, nearly 3 inches of snow fell after 7 am, so it doesn't count as a white Christmas, per the NWS definition.
It doesn’t seem like 2024 will break Massachusetts’ no-white-Christmas streak, but maybe some Christmas magic in the air could move the needle. Better have some hot chocolate ready just in case.