Featured Story, Courtesy USA Today

Doyle Rice

USA TODAY: 

"Dreaming of a White Christmas? Here's where

Your Best Chances are for seeing snow Dec. 25th"

Though it's still a bit early for an exact forecast for Dec. 25, where does history say you should be for your best chance of seeing a white Christmas? 

"Most of Idaho, Minnesota, Maine, upstate New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and, of course, the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains all have a high probability of seeing a white Christmas," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  

"And Crested Butte, Colorado, is just one of about a dozen locations boasting a nearly 100% historical probability of seeing a white Christmas," NOAA said.

Other locations where snow cover on Christmas Day is a virtual or complete certainty include Crater Lake, Oregon; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and Marquette, Michigan, according to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 

(Marquette is a virtual lock once again this year, as the city has a snow depth of 30 inches as of Monday, the National Weather Service said.) 

Wintry mess:At least 5 dead as winter storms prompt weather alerts for 60 million people across East, Midwest

Historically, much of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, most of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and a large portion of the Western mountain areas have a 90% or better chance of a white Christmas.

Also based on historical averages, some of the biggest cities with the best probability for a white Christmas, according to AccuWeather, include Minneapolis; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Buffalo, New York; and Burlington, Vermont.

All except Burlington have snow on the ground as of Monday, the weather service said. 

The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25. 

It need not snow on Dec. 25 to fit the Weather Service's definition of a white Christmas, but some flurries would certainly help put folks in the holiday spirit.

The USA's fascination with a white Christmas dates back at least to 1942, when Bing Crosby crooned the wistful song in the film "Holiday Inn." Written by Irving Berlin, the song's lyrics bring out a romanticized image of Christmases past, "just like the ones I used to know."

"White Christmas," another movie featuring Crosby and the song, came out in 1954.

Despite Crosby's wishes, only 25% to 30% of the 48 contiguous states are typically snow-covered by Christmas, according to AccuWeather. As of Monday, about 46% of the USA (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) was snow-covered. 

Courtesy of USA Today, Dec. 16, 2019