Residents hoping for snowy holiday conditions in southern Wisconsin might face disappointment this Christmas season.
Meteorological forecasts indicate a possible mix of precipitation early Monday, primarily affecting areas north of Interstate 94 connecting Milwaukee and Madison.
"At this point, it looks like any accumulating snow is probably going to be more over central Wisconsin," National Weather Service meteorologist JJ Wood said.
He noted that central and northern regions already have existing snow cover that might persist through the holiday due to current conditions.
"The northern parts still got a fair amount, so they'll probably still hang onto their snow cover," Wood said.
However, he added that "down in the southern third of the state, there's probably not going to be much of any snow left" by Christmas Day.
Holiday Temperatures Above Average
Warmer weather patterns are expected during the Christmas period, with Milwaukee temperatures reaching approximately 42 degrees on December 24 and 44 degrees on December 25.
Other Wisconsin cities will experience similar conditions, with Green Bay reaching 38 degrees and La Crosse hitting 42 degrees on Christmas Day.
These readings exceed typical seasonal averages, which normally hover around 34 degrees for late December in Milwaukee.
"They'll still be well into the 30s, which is still above normal for this time of the year," Wood commented about post-Christmas temperatures.
Historical Christmas Snow Patterns
The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. on December 25.
Historical data shows Milwaukee has recorded measurable snowfall on Christmas Day 35 times since record-keeping began in 1871, representing about 22% of years.
The city's deepest Christmas snow cover reached 25 inches in 2000, while the heaviest Christmas Day snowfall was 6 inches in 1909.
Recent years have seen limited Christmas snow, with no measurable accumulation in Milwaukee during 2023, 2021, 2020, and 2019.
