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 Ohio reference stations
Station
Elevation
1 inch+
3 inch+
5 inch+
Last 10
Clevelanda coin flip
763 ft
40%
19%
12%
3 of 10
Columbus Port Columbus International Airporta long shot
810 ft
23%
10%
3%
3 of 10
Dayton International Airporta long shot
1,000 ft
24%
11%
4%
2 of 10
Akron Canton Regional Airporta long shot
1,208 ft
34%
16%
7%
3 of 10
Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airporta long shot
1,295 ft
37%
19%
8%
3 of 10
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Best bets
The best bets in Ohio
The highest and northernmost stations in Ohio have the best odds, and elevation does most of the work. The top four are Chardon, Dorset, Hiram and Youngstown.
60%Chardon1,130 ft, likely
51%Dorset980 ft, a coin flip
50%Hiram1,230 ft, a coin flip
45%Youngstown Regional Airport1,180 ft, a coin flip
It depends on where. The best station of the 60 we track is Chardon at 60%, likely, and the typical station is 25%. 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: Chardon (60%), Dorset (51%) and Hiram (50%). Elevation does most of the work, so a drive into the hills can change the odds a lot.
40% for 1 inch or more on the ground, 19% for 3 inches and 12% for 5 inches, at Cleveland (763 feet).
3 of the last 10 Christmases with a report had at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at Cleveland.
At Chardon, the odds of 5 inches or more are 35%. Most stations are lower; the state page table shows 1, 3 and 5 inch odds for each reference station.
Chardon had 12 inches on the ground on Christmas morning 2020, 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.
