What’s New
Eighteen states have a “high” chance at a white Christmas this year, with even more states expecting a fair chance at holiday snow, according to a map shared by AccuWeather on Monday.
Why It Matters
Millions of Americans will travel for the holiday this year, with a report from the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicting that more than 119 million Americans have at least 50 miles to travel or more for year-end holidays.
Thanksgiving also brought record-breaking travel this year, with millions of Americans facing hazardous weather on their journey home after the holiday, particularly in the Northeast where lake-effect snow prompted officials in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York to urge people to delay travel until the worst of the snow had passed.
Given that Christmas is on a Wednesday this year and is just nine days away, Americans could set out early, meaning the forecast this weekend could have the biggest impact on travel.
A map from AccuWeather shows the chance at a white Christmas for each state in the contiguous U.S. Storms hitting this weekend could have the biggest impact on holiday travel.
AccuWeather
What to Know
AccuWeather’s white Christmas forecast map shows a “high chance” for snow in parts of 18 states, including Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota, Michigan, far northeast Ohio, far northwest Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Much of the central and Midwestern U.S. have a low chance at snow, with no chance in the far south.
Therefore, some of the storms that could contribute to snowfall that will remain until Christmas could pose to disrupt travel this weekend as Americans set out to see their friends and family.
In the central U.S., a couple of disturbances will impact the Plains states through the Midwest, though there aren’t any “big storms” in the forecast, according to AccuWeather.
Unsettled weather will occur from northern California up through Seattle this weekend with “storm after storm” every two days. Another storm is set to hit the region on Friday night, with another stronger system on its tail likely to hit Sunday.
States with the deepest snow as of Monday are in the Pacific Northwest, another map created by AccuWeather showed.
The states with the deepest snowpack are in the Pacific Northwest. Several states are expecting a white Christmas.
AccuWeather
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather long-range expert Paul Pastelok told Newsweek: “A swath of snow could impact road travel over the northern Plains and the upper Midwest the start of holiday weekend. It washes out and falls apart by the time it gets to the East.”
He added: “The thing that is a problem is the West Coast. They continue to get hammered.”
What Happens Next
Americans traveling for the holidays are urged to keep an eye on the forecast to note any disruptive travel that could impact their flights or cause issues for road travel.
