A white Christmas in the Midwest? What the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts for your area

Hoping for a white Christmas in the Midwest? You may get your wish, according to forecasts by the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The more than 200-year-old publication is using its long-range weather forecasts to predict which areas of the U.S. will see snow on Dec. 25 this year.

What’s the outlook for the Midwest? It depends on where you are.

The upper Midwest and high plains regions are expected to see snow on the ground Christmas Day, the almanac said. These states include Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and western portions of both Kansas and Nebraska, among others.

The almanac predicts snow will fall in the days leading up to Christmas — blanketing the ground — and that the white stuff may even fall on the holiday itself.

In the heartland, including most of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa along with portions of Illinois and Nebraska, snow is a possibility but not a certainty, the almanac said. It’s predicting a rain-snow mix that may make for a Christmas “that’s more wet than white.”

Christmas Day in Oklahoma and Texas is predicted to be sunny and cold, with clear skies.

If you’re hoping for holiday snow predictions more specific to your area, the almanac released a tool where you can enter your zip code or city and state to see whether snow is likely.

Inputs for Kansas City, Omaha, St. Louis and Wichita all returned the response: “With both rain and snow in the forecast, it’s a toss-up.”

Tulsa’s forecast read: “No precipitation is expected for your area. That means clear sailing for Santa!”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is North America’s “oldest continuously published periodical,” according to its website.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac said it makes its forecast using a “secret formula” created in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, the Almanac’s founder. It includes solar science (the study of sunspots), climatology and meteorology, the almanac said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly linked to the Farmer’s Almanac, which is not affiliated with the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 11:38 AM with the headline "A white Christmas in the Midwest? What the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts for your area."