Dreaming of a white Christmas? Depending on your definition, you might get your wish
If you’ve been hoping for a winter wonderland on Christmas day, you might be in luck — but it sort of depends on your definition of white Christmas.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting chances of snowfall on Saturday night, Sunday morning and on Tuesday, Christmas. Although there is no official definition of what a white Christmas actually is, National Weather Service meteorologist Elizabeth Padian said that, among her colleagues, the loose definition is that there should be an inch of snow on the ground that day.
If that is the standard, then you might be disappointed. Snow and rain are expected to alternate over the next few days, which means there’s a high chance there won’t be snow on the ground Christmas morning.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Padian said.
By the meteorologists’ “loose definition” of at least an inch of snow on the ground, Boise has had a white Christmas every year since 2014.
But will it snow?
If your definition of a white Christmas is that it’s actually snowing, then there’s a chance you’ll be thrilled.
Padian said that as the current weather system leaves the area, temperatures will drop, meaning there’s a chance it could snow a bit Tuesday night and Wednesday.
The chance of snow on Christmas, itself, is currently listed at 40 percent following a 50 percent chance of rain on Monday. A high of 39 degrees is expected Saturday, followed by 40 degrees on Festivus, 42 degrees on Christmas Eve and 39 degrees on Christmas.
Boise received an inch of snow on Christmas in 2017, according to the NWS. Prior to that, there had been no snowfall recorded on Christmas since 2012, when Boise got 1/2 inch.
Holiday travel
Padian suggested moving travel days around if possible as Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny during the day. If travelers are unable to change plans, she cautioned to be smart on the road.
“Travel safely, take it easy,” Padian said. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt over this.”
AAA Idaho estimated earlier this month that 567,000 Idahoans will hit the road for the holidays.
This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 3:00 PM.
