The Big Question: Will We Have a White Christmas in West Michigan This Year?
The short answer: Who knows? It is Michigan, right?
But taking a look at some of the long-range forecasts for cities in West Michigan, including Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids, it tends to look like we may once again miss out on having snow on the ground for the upcoming Christmas holiday on December 25th. These forecasts are provided by Weather Atlas.
This week, especially Wednesday and Thursday, the region will be experiencing near record highs around 60 degrees, but the weather is supposed to cool back down this weekend to more average temperatures.
Saturday, December 18 through Thursday, December 23 are forecast to generally have highs in the mid-30s and lows in the upper-20s. But it also looks like not much precipitation is forecast during that stretch. In fact, during that six-day stretch, the highest probability for any precipitation is a mere 30% on Thursday, December 23. It does indicate that some snow showers are possible in the afternoon that day, but only about 0.2" of snow is possible, at least for now.
But, there is a glimmer of hope if you are rooting for a White Christmas. The Christmas Eve forecast for Friday, December 24 does currently call for some snow showers during the morning. It would be another 0.2". So if it sticks we would have a total of about 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. That's almost enough to cover the grass, right? OK, maybe that's a reach.
But again, a lot can change as the further out you go in long-term forecasts, the less accurate they are.
It seems like a "Green Christmas" has happened a lot more in recent years in West Michigan than it used to. In fact, if memory serves, even White Thanksgivings were somewhat common back in the day. It's hard to remember the last time that happened.
Things To Do This Winter That Are Not Outside