What are the chances of a White Christmas in Boston this year?
BOSTON – We're less than a week away from Christmas! As we ramp up for Santa to make his annual trip, the WBZ-TV Weather Team is continuously tracking yet another large storm. Could it be this year will actually be a White Christmas?!
Boston hasn't officially had a White Christmas since 2009. The technical rule for that festive scene is one inch of snow on the ground by 7 a.m. Christmas morning. It doesn't seem all that hard for New England … yet Boston has only done so twice since 2000.
So does this upcoming storm give us a chance? As of now it'll be hard to come by.
There has been a little shift in timing with this one. What was initially a concern for Thursday-Friday seems to be sliding towards Friday-Saturday.
Since the initial energy of the storm is still well out west (in Alaska!), there may be some wiggle room in that timing moving forward. The bigger question is how much does the track wiggle? With any differences there, it's possible the ultimate precipitation type my change in the region.
The thinking now is simply rain. With gusty southerly winds pumping in relatively mild temperatures, there really isn't enough to facilitate flakes. If the track were to slide farther east, we could be battling a similar scenario to late last week where some inland areas (higher elevations) grab some snow.
Coastal concerns are also starting to arise. Astronomically high tides are forecast for the end of the week. Flooding is possible with a foot in prone areas by the water.
There is good news for the holiday weekend! This system should wrap up by Saturday morning and we'll stay within sunshine through Christmas Day.
Stay with the WBZ Weather Team as we continuously track this storm and its holiday impacts.
