If you’re still dreaming of a White Christmas . . .

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Have you been dreaming of a White Christmas?

By definition, a White Christmas occurs when there’s at least 1 inch of snow on the ground Christmas morning. While having it snow on Christmas Day may look nice, it doesn’t necessarily need to be snowing on the holiday for it to be considered a “White Christmas.”

>> LIVE Doppler 7 Radar | Interactive

Statistically for Dayton, a White Christmas only happens about 22 percent of the time.

The most recent White Christmas occurred in 2017 with 2 inches on the ground Christmas morning. While the snow depth wasn’t that high, it was enough to be considered a White Christmas.

As for the record highest snow depth on Christmas day, that occurred in 2004 with a snow depth of 16 inches.

>>PHOTOS: The 2004 Christmas snowstorm

So, will the Miami Valley have a White Christmas this year?

It's not looking so good.

First, let's start with the probability of precipitation. From now through Dec. 25, our chances of precipitation look to be very low.

Then there's the temperatures outlook. Long-range temperature trends show warmer than normal outlook through the holiday. Typical highs around Christmas are in the middle 30s. That means, if there was precipitation falling it would likely be liquid and not in the form of snow.

With that said, our chances of a White Christmas very low and not likely to happen.

Maybe next year.

About the Author