•December 16, 2015•

Who will have a white Christmas in Illinois this year? Historically, northern Illinoisans are most like to see snow fly on Christmas Day, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

A “white Christmas” is defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground on December 25. It should come as no surprise that the highest odds are in northern Illinois. In general, the odds are about 40-60 percent in the northern third of Illinois, 20-40 percent in central Illinois, and 0-20 percent in southern Illinois.

There can be large differences between nearby sites, however. Snowfall is notoriously difficult to measure with blowing, drifting, and melting. Two nearby sites may have different results due to exposure to the sun and the wind as well as the dedication of the observer to report on Christmas Day.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.