Will there be a white Christmas in Massachusetts? Maps show who has the best chance.
BOSTON – Dreaming of a white Christmas in Massachusetts? You're running out of time. But there may be a chance for some holiday magic as the weekend arrives.
What is considered a white Christmas?
The National Weather Service considers it a white Christmas, if there is at least 1" of snow on the ground where you live by 7 a.m. on Christmas morning.
Boston has only had a white Christmas two times since 2000, and the last one was 15 years ago.
Snow chance in Massachusetts
A fairly weak storm system, currently in the Upper Midwest, will be diving southeastward in the next 24 hours.
As it does so, it will continue to weaken and transfer its energy to an offshore storm.
This new storm will pass several hundred miles to our east, much too far offshore to give us any major impacts.
However, parts of eastern Massachusetts may be just close enough to get "fringed" by the western edge of this blossoming storm.
Snow timeline
During the morning and early afternoon, a mix of sprinkles and flurries will be scattered around eastern Massachusetts. These will drift onshore thanks to a light east-northeast wind. Not expecting any white roads or snow accumulation before 2 pm.
The storm makes its closest pass between about 2 p.m. and midnight. This is the timeframe to watch if you have plans to be traveling or out on the roads Friday.
As the precipitation arrives, temperatures will be near or below freezing northwest of 95 and well above freezing at the immediate coastline and especially over southeastern Massachusetts.
Therefore, initially, we will see rain or a rain/snow mix falling near the coast (and southeast).
After dark, the storm will pull away and the winds will shift more northerly, changing the rain to wet snow for the entire area. Everything will end around midnight as the final flakes exit the Cape.
How much snow?
When all is said and done, we expect most of the area to receive between a coating and an inch of fresh snow. There is a chance with a slight change in storm track or heavier banding of snow that some areas could get an additional inch or two.
Again, not a big snow storm by any means, but, enough to whiten some roads Friday evening.
This will likely be our best chance to get any snow before Christmas. Any snow that does fall will likely stick around for several days thanks to a very cold airmass through early next week.