What Are The Chances of A White Christmas in Mid-Michigan?
This is the time of year we actually look forward to snow, and our Christmas could be white this year. Weather is not an exact science, it's a prediction, so we do take forecasters predictions with a grain of salt. It’s possible we could have at least an inch on the ground for Christmas day. Here are the predictions for some Michigan cities showing the chances for snow on the ground Christmas day:
Marquette 97%
S. Ste. Marie 95%
Pellston 83%
Alpena 79%
Houghton Lake 75%
Pentwater 70%
Grand Rapids 55%
Detroit 35%
Obviously our northern cities have a higher chance of getting snow just like they always do. In Grand Rapids the chance of five inches or more of snow on the ground is 30% and the possibility of 10 inches or more on Christmas morning is only 3%.
This is the GFS model forecast for Christmas morning from the early morning model run of Dec. 15. This would give much of Michigan mostly cloudy skies, much of West Michigan might be getting some lake-effect snow or flurries with temps. perhaps in the 20s. Still way too early to speculate on the exact conditions, but I haven’t ruled out a little snow on the ground Christmas morning.
In 2019 Grand Rapids had the third warmest Christmas day on record at 55 degrees, and a record high of 61 degrees on the 26th. The previous three years were much colder with snow on the ground Christmas Day. We’ve experienced temps much warmer this year since last spring. It’s all up to mother nature, but many are hoping for a story book Christmas morning with snow on the ground. Here’s hoping we all get our Christmas wish this year!