Seasonal & Holidays
Pittsburgh's White Christmas Chances
It's not as common an occurrence as you might think. Could it happen this year?
PITTSBURGH, PA - With the holiday drawing nearer, the question is on the minds of many: What's the likelihood of Pittsburgh having a white Christmas?
It doesn't happen often. According to the National Weather Service, which defines the event as having an inch or more of snow fall on Dec. 25., a white Christmas only happens about 10 percent of the time here.
Under that definition, Pittsburgh has had only four White Christmases since 1970. The most recent one was in 2002, when 1.8 inches of the white stuff fell.
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The odds of there being a trace amount of snow are greater, about 38 percent, according to the weather service.
Early forecasts aren’t great for those hoping for snow on the ground on Christmas Day. State College-based AccuWeather predicts highs of around 40 over the weekend, 40 on Christmas Eve and 41 on Christmas The Weather Channel expects highs in the upper 30s over the weekend, with a high of 36 on Christmas Eve and 40 on Christmas.
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As for the weather service? The agency issued this advice for southwestern Pennsylvania residents via Twitter on Monday.
“If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas,” the tweet stated. “Keep dreaming.”
Photo: Getty Images.
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