Pittsburgh's 2024 White Christmas Odds: Early Forecast

PITTSBURGH, PA — Thirty-one percent. For more than three decades, Pittsburgh has had a 31 percent probability of there being an inch of snow or more on the ground on Christmas.

That's according to the National Weather Service, which has an interactive map of historical trends across the country for a White Christmas. The map above shows the historic probability of there being at least an inch of snow on the ground on Dec. 25 based on data from 1991 through 2020.

The weather service has yet to issue a forecast for Christmas Day. Nationally, State College-based meteorological service AccuWeather says there is a better chance for a white Christmas this year than last but many areas still may end up more green than white.

In issuing its white Christmas outlook Wednesday, The Weather Channel said that while a colder pattern is expected to return to the eastern half of the country leading up to Christmas, a widespread snowstorm does not appear to be likely.

In the Pittsburgh area, the odds of a white Christmas do not appear to be good at the moment.

AccuWeather says Christmas Eve will be cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and a high temperature of 41. There's a 30 percent chance of rain on Christmas Day and an expected high of 46.

The Weather Channel offers a similar forecast, with a 30 percent chance of rain or snow showers on Christmas Eve and a high of 40. On Christmas Day, there's a 50 percent chance of showers and a high of 46.

So don't expect a repeat of the last major Christmas snowfall in Pittsburgh. That occurred in 2020, when 5.1 inches of snow fell and Christmas could not have been whiter.