The odds of 1, 3 and 5 inches of snow on the ground on December 25, from the 1991 to 2020 NOAA normals, with how many of the last ten Christmases were white where the station reported.
White Christmas odds at Nevada reference stations
Station
Elevation
1 inch+
3 inch+
5 inch+
Last 10
Battle Mountain 4SEa long shot
4,505 ft
24%
13%
4%
1 of 5
Las Vegas McCarran Airportalmost never
2,131 ft
0%
0%
0%
0 of 10
Mercury Desert Rock Airportrare
3,230 ft
1%
0%
0%
0 of 9
Elko Regional Airporta coin flip
5,030 ft
51%
30%
19%
6 of 10
Winnemucca Municipal Airporta long shot
4,296 ft
34%
13%
5%
3 of 10
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Best bets
The best bets in Nevada
The highest and northernmost stations in Nevada have the best odds, and elevation does most of the work. The top four are Wild Horse Rsvr, Lamoille, Ruth and Ruby Lake Nwr.
It depends on where. The best station of the 54 we track is Wild Horse Rsvr at 85%, likely, and the typical station is 6%. The ZIP lookup above gives your own number.
NOAA counts at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25. The odds here are the share of years from 1991 to 2020 that met that.
At the highest and northernmost stations: Wild Horse Rsvr (85%), Lamoille (73%) and Ruth (64%). Elevation does most of the work, so a drive into the hills can change the odds a lot.
24% for 1 inch or more on the ground, 13% for 3 inches and 4% for 5 inches, at Battle Mountain 4SE (4,505 feet).
1 of the last 5 Christmases with a report had at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at Battle Mountain 4SE.
At Wild Horse Rsvr, the odds of 5 inches or more are 63%. Most stations are lower; the state page table shows 1, 3 and 5 inch odds for each reference station.
Wild Horse Rsvr had 27 inches on the ground on Christmas morning 2018, the deepest we see in the last 10 years.
From December 10, the ZIP lookup adds a forecast of the snow on the ground Christmas morning. It shifts from day to day until the last few days.
