Will there be a white Christmas in Peoria? Chances of snow unlikely, weather expert says
Dreaming of a white Christmas? You'll probably have to settle for a wet one.
In central Illinois, Dec. 25 will likely see high temperatures in the middle 50s with a 60% to 70% chance of rain. That's the forecast from the National Weather Service office in Lincoln.
While the temperature might be on the high side — the record for Christmas Day is 63 degrees in 2019 — the lack of snow would not be unusual.
Related: Cold and snowy 'winter wonderland' forecast for central Illinois
The historical likelihood of a white Christmas is around 30% in Peoria, said meteorologist Nicole Albano. "But this year it is nearly 0% due to unseasonably mild temperatures."
The NWS defines a Christmas as "white" if there is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at 6 a.m. local time. That happened last year — barely. There was 1 inch of snow cover.
Prior to that, the records show white Christmases in Peoria most recently in 2017, 2012 and 2010. The "whitest" white Christmas on record in Peoria was in 1909, when there was already 10 inches of snow on the ground at 6 a.m. That Christmas Day also saw the greatest accumulation of new snow — 3.9 inches.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Historically, snow is unlikely on Christmas in Peoria
