The Holiday Season Is Almost Here. Old Farmer's Almanac Shares Its Christmas Weather Predictions

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For many, as the holiday season approaches, thoughts inevitably turn to the weather. There are those who are hoping for plenty of wintery weather, perhaps to enjoy a snowy Christmas or so they can head to their favorite winter sports destination for skiing, skating, or snowboarding with friends and family. To that end, much attention is paid to the Old Farmer's Almanac's winter weather forecast, as it has been for generations. However, that long-range forecast deals more with the overall outlook for winter, whereas the recently released Christmas weather predictions focus on the outlook for the holiday season. 

For the 2025 Christmas season, the weather is predicted to be wildly different across the country, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. For starters, a relatively small portion of the country can expect a white Christmas this year. In fact, the Old Farmer's Almanac's Thanksgiving Forecast calls for snow across a greater portion of the U.S. than does its Christmas prediction. According to the forecast, cold and snowy conditions will be limited to the Northeast and Great Lakes Region. However, drivers in those places may need to break out the SCC Peerless snow chains or similar aids before the holidays are over. The Ohio Valley won't be quite as cold, but may see some snow flurries. 

Portions of the Upper Midwest and Alaska may also see some snow, although the temperatures will be varied and the snowfall may be slight. The High Plains and Intermountain Regions may see a bit of snow, but temperatures are expected to be unseasonably warm, so accumulation is unlikely. By contrast, the Atlantic Corridor along the Eastern Seaboard as well as Florida will actually be quite cold for the holidays. However, both regions are expected to experience sunny, dry conditions.

While the Great Lakes Region, the Northeast, Atlantic Corridor, and Florida will be cold and the Ohio Valley will be chilly, the remainder of the country should experience weather that probably won't conjure images of the North Pole. The entire western half of the United States will have either warm or mild weather during Christmas, with the vast majority of the region experience unseasonably warm conditions. The eastern portion of Nebraska and Kansas, western side of Oregon and Washington, and northern half of California are the only areas expected to be mild west of the Mississippi.

Most of the western half of the country is also supposed to be sunny and dry. The exceptions are the aforementioned Intermountain and High Plains regions, along with Alaska, which may see some snow and pockets of rain. Isolated portions of Southern California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada also may get a few sprinkles. On the plus side, Hawaii is also supposed to have a warm, sunny Christmas, so residents and vacationers there will able to say Mele Kalikimaka on a bright, Hawaiian Christmas Day.

Over on the eastern side, the Upper Midwest, Deep South, and Appalachian regions will have varied weather over the holidays. For the Appalachians, that means mild to cool temps with conditions ranging from sunny to showers to a chance of snow. The precipitation chances go in the opposite direction in the Upper Midwest, with snow, then sun. Both the Deep South and Upper Midwest will see temperatures decline through the holidays. Meanwhile both the Heartland and Southeast are mild and sunny throughout the Christmas season. Wherever you are, if you really want snow this Christmas, your best bet is to head into the mountains.