Should Grand Rapids Expect A White Christmas This Year?

It's another year, and that means it's time for another round of predicting the odds that Grand Rapids should expect to wake up to a "White Christmas" on December 25th. Few things are more wonderful than looking out the window and seeing a soft snowfall while the sound of ripping paper is assaulting your ears.

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We're all dreaming of a White Christmas, and based on how much snow Grand Rapids and much of Michigan have already gotten this year, it feels like a "white Christmas" is a no-brainer. Here's what meteorologists are predicting.

A White Christmas

Despite this being one of the snowiest starts to winter in recent history, things aren't looking well for a snowy December 25th. Last year was a green Christmas with light snow throughout the day (which pleased my mom), and it looks like we'll experience a repeat of this weather.

READ MORE: Grand Rapids Winters Ranked From Snowiest to Mildest

The Weather Channel is predicting that the week leading up to Thursday, the 25th, will have temperatures well above freezing with partly cloudy conditions. Thursday the 18th, the high is in the 50s and will continue the snow-melt that began on the 15th. To make matters worse, rain is in the forecast for the 24th and 25th, which will continue melting any remaining snow.

White Christmas Averages

The National Weather Service (NWS) has created a map showing the probability of at least 1 inch of snow on December 25th, based on data from 1991-2020. Annually, Grand Rapids is at an unconvincing 56%, suggesting that every year is a toss-up. Around the state, the odds aren't looking much better unless you're up North in places like Marquette, which sits at 96%.

As always, the weather is subject to change, and we could still wake up to a blizzard out of nowhere. Only Santa Claus and Jack Frost will know, and they sadly did not respond to my messages.