Only 11% of the U.S. has Snow, Iowa is at 0%

Christmas is just over three weeks away, and at this rate, not much of the United States will be having a White Christmas.

According to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, as of November 30^th:

11.1% of the lower 48 is covered with snow, the 4th lowest percentage for this day since 2003.

Last year on December 1, just 13.2% of the contiguous 48 states has snow on the ground. But a month later, on New Year’s Day, over 44% of the nation had snow cover.

Snow Coverage on January 1, 2021:

Did we have a White Christmas last year? Around half of Iowa did:

Last winter season (October 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021) there were only 38 days where the entire state had at least one inch of snow cover.

So, what are the odds of a White Christmas? By the way, a 'White Christmas' is defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25^th. Although some consider it a ‘White Christmas’ if it’s actually snowing on Christmas Day.

The graph below shows the probability of at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day based on U.S. Climate Normals for 1981-2010.

Climate.gov says that Black Hawk County historically has around a 58% chance of seeing a White Christmas every year. As for the Cedar Rapids area, the odds of a White Christmas is only 47%.

Here's the Winter Outlook from the NOAA:

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