First Alert Weather In Depth: Could it be a Green Christmas?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. As of today, it is only 18 days until Christmas and there is no snow on the ground.

The seasonal snowfall is well below normal for this time of the year. And the Rochester Airport shows the average amount of snow, over 30 years, is usually 12.5 inches. Right now, the measurement for seasonal snow is only 4.5 inches. That is an 8-inch deficit and there is no sign of making up this deficit in the near future.

A comparison to past winter seasons shows that we have had a lot of snow as recently as 2017-18. That particular year we measured a maximum of 120 inches of snow. But beyond that point, the seasonal snowfall has dropped off on a year-by-year basis with the low point coming in the 2020-21 season when had less than 70 inches of snow.

However, it appears the tide is turning. Last season the amount went up to 87 inches. We need the cold air to make snow. The long-term outlook for the temperature over the next 10 days shows it will be cold in the western United States, but the eastern half of the country will likely have a higher probability for warmer temperatures.

At this point, there is nothing to show a high probability of significant snow in the near future. Certainly not a big storm system that you would expect as we get deeper into the season. And the 8 to 14-day temperature outlook does not get much colder. But the News 10NBC First Alert meteorologists will continue to reevaluate the conditions as we get closer to the holidays.

It should be noted, that unless we turn around the season pretty quickly, there is a good chance that Santa will be putting wheels on his sleigh because of the lack of snowfall.