Snow across New York and New Jersey for part of Christmas Eve

NEW YORK -- Some light snow moved through New York City and the surrounding area Tuesday, making for a White Christmas Eve in some areas. 

Light snow made its way into New York City, working its way from northwest to southeast. It only snowed for two to three hours, in any one location, and it moved through by late morning.

Snowfall totals for Christmas Eve

The snowfall amounts were not impressive, but just enough to produce a festive look outside. The 1 inch recorded in Central Park was the most snow on Christmas Eve since 1998. As usual, the highest totals were found in our northwestern suburbs, where up to 2.5 inches fell.

Will it be a White Christmas?

A fresh layer of snow should ensure a White Christmas in our northwestern suburbs , however, a White Christmas in New York City is still in question due to temperatures rising above freezing on Christmas Eve, which may melt some of the snow. If there still is 1 inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. Christmas morning, then it would officially be the first White Christmas in the city since 2009.    

Christmas travel forecast

As for temperatures Christmas Eve, lows in the 20s will be most common overnight, with some teens north and west.

Then for both Christmas and Hanukkah, there will be no travel concerns, as decent amounts of sunshine will be in place. It will still be cold though, as highs only reach the mid to upper 30s.

Highs will then gradually increase towards the end of the week, returning to average by Friday. Not much in the way of precipitation is expected until later during the weekend.

Snow puts New Yorkers in the holiday spirit

New Yorkers were out in Central Park enjoying the snowy conditions, saying they were hoping for a White Christmas. Although there wasn't a lot of accumulation, it was still enough for a snowball fight, selfies, and the like. 

In Hell's Kitchen, some people started their Christmas Eve by getting straight to work shoveling. It was the same north of the city, in White Plains, where snow-covered stairs, driveways and sidewalks were being cleared. Residents there were trying to make sure there's a clear path for holiday guests, and Santa. 

"It was beautiful, really. It's been a long time since it snowed, especially around Christmastime," Patrick Madden said. 

"It was lovely to wake up to the snow and have our first White Christmas, because we were saying the whole trip, if it's not a White Christmas, we'll be disappointed," Emily Clarke said. 

See our full winter snow outlook for the season here, and stick with the First Alert Weather team for the latest alerts.