Friday Will Make Or Break Albany’s Dreams Of A White Christmas

It’s the weather/holiday gold standard: a white Christmas, just like the ones we used to know. Bing loved them, they’re in every Christmas movie, and what perfect holiday dreams are made of. With an uptick of December snow around Albany, you’d think the Capital Region would surely be in for a Crosby-worthy Christmas this year.

Throw in an approaching blast of Arctic air via Bomb Cyclone, and snow should be a shoe-in, right? But for those dreaming of a white Christmas in Upstate, one thing could be standing in our way on Friday.

The Definition Of White Christmas

Did you know the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has a true scientific definition of a white Christmas? There has to be one inch or more of snow on the ground at 8am on December 25^th, so no, a dusting doesn’t count.

New York is one of the states most likely to see a white Christmas each year, along with our regional neighbors Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Somehow, Idaho has the best odds of a white Christmas in America.

On Thursday, we’ll have enough moisture in the air to get possibly an inch of snow. On Friday, things will get crazy as polar air kicks down our door. Here are the two most likely options – and one of them will make for a very white Christmas.

Why Friday Might Ruin A White Christmas

The record high for December 23 in Albany is 64 degrees. We’ll hit well below that, but still get up to an Accuweather predicted high of 49 on Friday. That’s that warmest temperature the Capital Region has had for a few weeks. A temperature that high should shift any snow to rain, and also thaw what’s on the ground.

The real danger comes when Arctic air arrives Friday night, dropping the temperature almost 40 degrees. All that rain could make ice on the roads. Combine that with heavy winds, and that will give many a nasty time traveling on Christmas Eve.

Why Friday Could Save A White Christmas

The polar air that’s bringing that 10-degree temperature with it is causing chaos with predicted forecasts. At first it was a Polar Vortex, but in the past two days it’s morphed into a Bomb Cyclone, bringing unexpected, massive blizzards to the Central US.

The predicted high for Friday has already dropped around ten degrees since Monday. If this trend keeps up, any rain coming through on Friday could turn to snow, in which case Albany could see a lot. Any snow Friday would likely last into Sunday and give the Capital Region a white Christmas.