Will Kansas receive the gift of Christmas snow?
With moisture being limited and holiday plans in the works, people are wondering if snow is in the outlook for Christmas. Unfortunately, historical records indicate the possibility is limited. The probabilities range from about seven to 30 percent (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Historical percent chance of snow on the ground on December 25 for Kansas.
The outlook for Christmas snow is even less promising this year. While some areas have a slight chance of precipitation over the weekend, the amount of moisture indicated in the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast is limited (Figure 2). This makes snow for Christmas, and any drought relief, unlikely.
Figure 2. Forecast precipitation amounts (http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/).
Normal precipitation for this period would range between 0.01 inches per day in western Kansas to 0.04 inches per day in Southeast Kansas.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu
