While most of the US is dry, a ‘white Christmas’ is expected for some mountain areas

Most of the United States will see a dry holiday with above-average temperatures this year, while some mountain areas may see some snow.

The places most likely to see a “white Christmas” are the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Cascades in Washington, according to the National Weather Service.

Although no snow is forecast in the North on Christmas Day, places like North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Michigan could still meet the NWS’s definition of a “white Christmas” due to the accumulation of snow still on the ground .

The NWS defines a “white Christmas” as at least an inch of snow on the ground at 7 local time Christmas morning.

The Northeast Coast and from West Virginia to Maine in the eastern United States are expected to miss out on a snowy Christmas, as well as the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC to New York and Boston. But a dusting of snow in the northeast could materialize on Christmas Eve.

Heavy flakes may also fall in Maine on Christmas Eve, with Bangor expected to receive between 3 and 6 inches of snow.

Meanwhile, a storm forecast for the Pacific Northwest, the latest in an ongoing series of storms, is expected to bring rain, except in the Cascades.

There is also a chance of showers from Chicago to New Orleans on Wednesday, where temperatures are expected to be above average.

Temperatures across most of the country at Christmas are expected to be mostly 5 to 15 degrees above average for the West, Midwest and South.

Along the east coast, temperatures are expected to be slightly below the seasonal average for the northeast on Christmas Day.

This week, an artic blast that began on Sunday is expected to spread into Monday, bringing bone-chilling temperatures across the North and Northeast.

A cold weather advisory was in effect for parts of the Northeast Sunday morning, with chills making it feel like minus 20 degrees in northeastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and western Massachusetts. The wind chill could make it feel like minus 25 degrees in northwest Maine.

By Monday morning, the wind chill effect will make it feel like below zero in northeastern New York state to Maine. Monday’s wind chill will make it feel as cold as 10 degrees from Washington, DC, to New York City, and the single digits in Boston.

In the West and Southeast, a stretch of warm weather is expected to remain through Christmas Day, with highs forecast at 64 for Los Angeles, 71 in Phoenix, 73 in New Orleans and 78 in Miami.