White Christmas in Metro Detroit this year? Here's what we'll see

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Whether your Christmas shopping is finished or not, the big day is nearly here and if you've been dreaming of a white Christmas, the odds are very high that it will happen - just don't expect to watch it fly with Santa on Christmas Eve in southeast Michigan.

It's hard to get everyone to agree on what they want when it comes to the weather, except on Christmas Day! It seems like everyone in Metro Detroit wants a white Christmas and you know what? We just might get it!

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Here's what we expect for the Christmas forecast this year: it's going to be cold with highs in the upper 20s. While that may not sound great today, it's going to help ensure we have a white Christmas as snow will fall during the middle/late part of the week.

How much snow? A couple of inches of snow are currently forecasted for Thursday, Dec. 22, followed by three straight days of cold cold cold. But, that keeps the snow on the ground and thus delivers on the present many people want: a white Christmas.

What defines a white Christmas?

A white Christmas is defined as there being at least an inch of snow on the ground, according to the National Weather Service.

With the snowmaker pushing into southeast Michigan on Thursday and those cold temperatures keeping the snow from melting away, you should wake up Christmas morning to a blanket of snow still covering the ground.

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This year, we expect snow the week before Christmas and cold temperatures will keep it around through Christmas Day.

What are the odds of a white Christmas?

This is going to sound pretty annoying - but it's a coin flip.

In any given year we typically have a 41-50% chance to have one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day.

That's just for Southeast Michigan. Head a little farther north or west - like Grand Rapids - and they're up to 60-75%. Meanwhile, the northern part of the Lower Peninsula is at 75-90%!

In other words - if you want to guarantee you get a white Christmas, head north.