Will Illinois Have A White Christmas In 2020?

ILLINOIS — Whether you love snow or hate it, there’s still something festive and almost magical about a thick blanket of white snow on Christmas.

But in 2020, a year that’s exacted a heavy toll on many in Illinois because of the coronavirus pandemic, what are our chances of actually experiencing this simple pleasure on Christmas Day?

Our chances are low.

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, which recently released its annual Christmas weekend forecast, our state is in for "increasingly cloudy skies for the Christmas holiday weekend."

Nationwide, the greatest chance for snow on Christmas rests snugly in the northern Midwest states. If you’re in Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming or Montana, you’re in luck.

Those in the Northeast can expect a fair and cold Christmas, while weather in the Pacific Northwest and the southwest United States is also expected to turn unsettled with possible snow over the high-terrain areas. The Southeast could see an unseasonably cold Yuletide with possible frosts down to the Gulf Coast.

If there’s no snow on Christmas Day, will there at least be snow on the ground?

In the Sierras, Cascades, the leeward side of the Great Lakes and northern New England, Christmas snow cover is a near certainty, the Farmers’ Almanac says. In these regions, most precipitation in late autumn and early winter falls as snow, making the probability of snowfall exceed 25 percent.

At higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains and at many locations between the northern Rockies and New England, the probability of snow on the ground is more than 50 percent.

For those who opt for a green Christmas, the best places to be in late December will be southern California, the lower elevations of the Southwest, and Florida.

Beyond Christmas, the Farmers' Almanac states that an intense Midwest storm will deliver heavy wind, snow or mixed precipitation.

The fascination with a white Christmas was likely popularized by the writings of Charles Dickens. The depiction of a snow-covered Christmas season in his 1843 classic “A Christmas Carol,” and a number of his other short stories, was reportedly influenced by memories of his childhood.

The song, “White Christmas,” written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby, is among the best-selling singles of all time. The tune nostalgically speaks of a white Christmas and has since become embedded in American holiday traditions.