What Are the Chances of a White Christmas in Detroit Metro?

Historically, Detroit and the suburbs have a higher probability of snow on the ground than most other U.S. cities, even if it’s just a dusting, AccuWeather.com says.

Detroit, along with Minneapolis, Denver, Milwaukee and Buffalo, are the five cities where the likelihood of a white Christmas is the greatest.

In 2013-2014, when the metro area experienced its snowiest winter in history, residents not only had a white Christmas, but a bitterly cold one as well. However, the snowiest Christmas Day on record ws in 1915, with a snowfall total of 7.9 inches.

“You need snow - on or near Christmas Day is ideal,” AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Jim Andrews said. “Of course, if it happens well before Christmas, it needs to stay cold (near to below freezing) through Christmas to keep snow on the ground.

“While Detroit does not benefit from lake-effect snow, it is usually cold enough [in December] for precipitation to often take the form of snow, thereby giving the city a significant chance of a white Christmas,” Andrews said.

Though forecasts can change in the next 11 days, the chances for a white Christmas don’t look great, according to AccuWeather.com, which forecasts sunny skies with a high around 30 on Christmas Day.

In the short-term, expect a bit more of the same weather pattern. Here’s the National Weather Service forecast for the week ahead:

Sunday night: Areas of drizzle. Areas of fog after 8 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 43. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph after midnight.

Monday: Areas of drizzle before 1 p.m. Areas of fog before 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 51. South southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.

Monday night: Showers likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 43. South southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday: Showers likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 52. South southeast wind around 7 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Tuesday night: A chance of rain showers before 8 p.m., then a chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.

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