Will Seattle See A White Christmas In 2022?

SEATTLE — You can probably hum the tune of “White Christmas” from memory, and may even know all the words of the beloved song. But if you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in Puget Sound, 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. Based on those trends, the likelihood of an inch or more of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in the Seattle area is a meager 4 percent.

However, with a third consecutive La Niña pattern still going strong, and climate outlooks favorable for cold and wet weather this month, there may still be a fair chance. While snow held off on Christmas morning last year, Seattle picked up several inches of snow in the days following.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts large swaths of the country could see snow during Christmas week, including Washington. The long-range forecast looks a lot like the beginning of the month, calling for rain in the Pacific Northwest occasionally turning to wet snow, accompanied by chilly temperatures.

That squares with the latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center, which favor colder, wetter conditions hanging on through December.

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.

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