People dreaming of a white Christmas may be in for a rude awakening

The holiday season is underway. Neighborhoods are aglow with colorful lights and trees have been transformed into the twinkling centerpieces of houses from coast to coast. As many enjoy the magical beauty of the season indoors, they may wonder when it will begin to look like Christmas outside, with snow-covered hillsides and picturesque scenery akin to a holiday movie.

While those dreaming of a white Christmas will get their wish in some areas of the United States, AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok warns that a "green Christmas" could be a common sight as the sun rises on Monday, Dec. 25.

Snow falls on a Christmas tree in Anchorage, Alaska, Dec. 12, 2023. (Brian Brettschneider)

A white Christmas is a year when there is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Dec. 25, and despite what some holiday songs suggest, a snowy Christmas is not too common for large areas of the country.

For more than half of the contiguous United States, there is less than a 50% chance of snow on the ground on Christmas Day, according to historical weather records.

For folks in the Rocky Mountains, part of the Midwest and northern New England, a white Christmas is more common than one without a blanket of powder covering the ground.

In the South, the chances of a white Christmas are almost zero, especially in Florida, southern Texas, southern Arizona and parts of California.

Snow lovers may have to keep dreaming of a white Christmas this year, as AccuWeather forecasters say that only a few areas of the United States have a high chance of snow on the ground as the calendar flips to Dec. 25. This includes most of the Rockies.

Some snow will be possible in part of the High Plains and northern Plains, as well as the Upper Midwest and certain areas downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

However, a lack of snow does not mean that calm weather is in the offing on the days leading up to the holiday.

More than 115 million Americans are expected to travel this holiday season, making 2023 the second-busiest after 2019, according to AAA. Due to the weather, millions of pre-Christmas travelers could have a bumpy ride on their journey.

"California will see an increase in wet weather mid to late [this] week," AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. He added that a storm will track from the Southwest into the Plains around Friday and Saturday, but it will deliver mainly rain to the Plains.

The stormy weather could put a damper on pre-Christmas travel at several major travel hubs, including those in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston.

Two storms will tend to merge over the central Rockies and High Plains for the Christmas weekend. One storm will progress southeastward from the Northwest on Friday, while a second storm will swing eastward from Southern California to end the week. Exactly how the two storms meet up will determine the scope and intensity of a new area of snow during the weekend.

Long-range forecasters already have concerns for people planning to travel in the days following Christmas.

"There could be a period of rain and wet snow after the holiday [in the Northeast]," Pastelok said.

A Christmas tree is seen after snowfall at the Podgorski Square as Arctic blast heads for Europe. Krakow, Poland on December 11, 2022. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Continue to check back with AccuWeather in the coming days for further details about potential travel-altering weather, the potential for snow leading up to and on Christmas Day, and the chance for stormy weather leading up to New Year's Day.

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