Will Illinois Have A White Christmas? Here’s What The Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts

Songs, poems, children’s stories and holiday movies relive the joy of a white Christmas, but how likely is it that Illinoisans will wake up to a snow-covered landscape on Christmas morning?

“While we all know that nature can be unpredictable, the odds are that the snow will fall mainly in the Central region of the U.S.” the almanac’s website reads. “According to The 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac, most of the United States will be seeing a milder, gentler winter than average.”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac said in a newly released forecast that a White Christmas is likely in Illinois, for the Chicago area and northeast Illinois. Historically, the Chicago area has a 2 in 5 chance for a White Christmas.

The Old Farmer's Almanac only gave Alaska, the northeast and the lower lakes region the designation of "white Christmas" for this year's predictions. Everywhere else received "chance of a white Christmas" or "not a white Christmas."

Dreams of a white Christmas are historically just wishful thinking in some parts of the country, including the Deep South, the Southeast, the Desert Southwest and Hawaii. Here’s a look at what could be in store for the rest of the country:

• Northeast: A White Christmas.
• Atlantic Corridor: Not a White Christmas
• Appalachians: Chance of a White Christmas
• Southeast: Not a White Christmas
• Florida: Not a White Christmas
• Lower Lakes: A White Christmas
• Ohio Valley: Chance of a White Christmas in the east; not a White Christmas in the west
• Deep South: Not a White Christmas
• Upper Midwest: Chance of a White Christmas
• Heartland: Not a White Christmas
• Texas–Oklahoma: Not a White Christmas
• High Plains: Chance of a White Christmas
• Intermountain: Chance of a White Christmas in the east; not a White Christmas in the west
• Desert Southwest: Not a White Christmas
• Pacific Northwest: Not a White Christmas
• Pacific Southwest: Not a White Christmas.
• Alaska: A White Christmas.
• Hawaii: Not a White Christmas