Dreams of a classic White Christmas are fading for millions of Americans this year, but for a select group of northern and high-elevation cities, snow on the ground on Christmas morning still looks firmly within reach. Forecasts heading into the final days before 25 December show a growing divide between cities likely to wake up to a wintry scene and major population centres expected to see bare pavements instead.
A White Christmas is officially defined as at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. While fresh snowfall helps, existing snow cover is often the deciding factor, and that is where geography is proving decisive this year.
