Will The Chicago Area See A White Christmas In 2022?

ILLINOIS — The first of December is Thursday, and many Chicagoans, for better or worse, are probably wondering when we will see some snow. But if you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in the Chicago area, what is the chance of that actually happening?

To determine the probability of a White Christmas, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center looked at historical data from 1981-2010. That puts that likelihood of an inch or more of snow on the ground on Christmas Day at between 41 percent and 50 percent in the Chicago area.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts large swaths of the country could see snow during Christmas week. The long-range forecast for the Lower Lakes area, which includes Chicago, calls for "snow showers in the days leading up to Christmas, with temperatures trending colder."

If you’re traveling:

People living in the Northeast, Lower Lakes, Upper Midwest, Heartland, High Plains, and Intermountain regions, along with Alaska, can all expect to see snow showers and colder temperatures in the days leading up to Christmas.

Rain showers in the Atlantic Corridor, Appalachians and Ohio Valley are expected to turn to snow showers around Christmas.

The Deep South, Texas and Oklahoma are expected to see sunny skies around Christmas. Temperatures may be chilly in the Deep South, but milder in Texas and Oklahoma.

The Desert Southwest could see a mix, with snow showers in the eastern half of the region and rain in the west.

Rain in the Pacific Northwest is expected to occasionally turn to wet snow, accompanied by chilly temperatures. The Pacific Southwest is expected to see only rain.

The eastern and western islands of Hawaii should expect rain showers for Christmas, with isolated showers occurring in the central part of the archipelago.