**Related Video Above: Cleveland Christmas tree lighting 2022.**
CLEVELAND (WJW) — With Christmas just weeks away, Northeast Ohioans are wondering if snow is on the way.
While we’ll need to wait until closer to Dec. 25 to get a more accurate picture of how much of the white stuff to expect in our area, what we can do is look to the past to assess Christmas future.
“Historically, your best bet is to head north or up in elevation,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explained on Twitter.
The weather tracking organization revealed the probability of having at least an inch of snow in North America based on data from 1991-2020.
As seen in the map below, Cleveland has about a 40% chance of having snow of an inch or more on the ground and the Akron/Canton area has about a 34% chance:
The Old Farmer’s Almanac offers a similar prediction saying “Cleveland’s odds are 1 in 3” to have a White Christmas this year.
Taking a look back at Christmases past – 70 years, that is – FOX 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol shows us, in the chart below, there’s a good chance we won’t see any snowfall on Christmas Day.
The first day of winter hits Dec. 21, and Cleveland gets an average of about 64 inches of snow per winter, with Akron/Canton getting 47 inches. So there could be snow on the ground this Christmas, it is going to be winter after all.
In the meantime, Northeast Ohio is experiencing highs in the 40s, but a cool down is expected, according to FOX 8 News meteorologists, with snow chances increasing in mid-December.