Chill out. Odds looking good for a 'White Christmas' in northern Ohio
It's looking more and more likely that a white Christmas may be in the future for northern Ohio.
The National Weather Service says more seasonable temperatures (a polite way of saying cold) will settle in and aren't expected to depart before Christmas. Daily highs are expected to be around freezing − give or take a degree or two or three − in the days leading up to Christmas.
Things are expected to get interesting later in the week when temperatures only in the 20s and some snow arrives on Thursday.
Tough sledding ahead:Farmers' Almanac predicts plenty of 'snow, rain and mush' for northern Ohio
The National Weather Service isn't predicting just how much might fall just yet, but others like Weather Underground say as much as 8 inches of snow could fall Thursday into Friday in places like Akron.
It should be noted that for it to be considered a white Christmas by weather folks, at least 1 inch of snow must be on the ground on Christmas Day.
Historical odds of a White Christmas
Statistically, the odds of snow falling on Christmas are pretty much 50/50 if you look at weather data from 1948 to 2021 at the airport. Over this 73-year span, there were 34 years with nary a snowflake in sight. And just 16 years had any measurable snow of consequence.
The National Weather Service's National Centers for Environmental Information is less optimistic and puts the historical chances of at least 1 inch of snow falling at 34% in the Akron and Canton region.
But with a potential snow maker being predicted to hit Thursday and Friday, it is looking likely that there will be some snow, potentially a lot of it, on the ground by Christmas Day.
Craig Webb, who's still waiting for Santa to bring Super Pong for Atari, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Snowstorm brewing in northern Ohio as colder temperatures settle in
