December 2024 Forecast (And Holiday Weather Map!) (2024)

The December Weather Forecast for 2024 reveals a slow start to winter this year. Take a look at our long-range predictions—plus, see a new holiday weather map, to prepare for travel over the week of Christmas andHanukkah!

December Forecast: A Slow Start toWinter

United States WeatherOutlook

• Most of the U.S. has average to above-average temperatures, so many people are looking at a mild month. The exception is the eastern Carolinas through Florida and Alaska, which will be belownormal.
• December precipitation will be above normal in the Great Lakes, Tennessee Valley, Texas–Oklahoma, and the northern Pacific Northwest; elsewhere, precipitation will be near to belownormal.

Canadian WeatherOutlook

• December temperatures will also be milder. We predict warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern Ontario, the eastern Prairies, southern British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories, and near to below normalelsewhere.
• December precipitation will be near to below normal from western Atlantic Canada into southeastern Quebec, southeastern British Columbia, and across the Yukon; elsewhere, it will be abovenormal.

→SeeYOURregion’s forecast with weekly weather condition summaries.

December HolidayWeather

United States Weather Summary: Let’s start with the weekend before Christmas week when many students start their winter break. Saturday, December 21, is the winter solstice, marking the longest night and shortest day of the year in the NorthernHemisphere.

• Temperatures will be warmer than normal across much of the United States east of the Rockies and near to below normalelsewhere.
• Cloudy skies and rainy periods will prevent much sunshine from reaching the southern Appalachians and the Southeast through Florida, across the Tennessee Valley, eastern Heartland, Texas–Oklahoma, and overHawaii.
• Expect snow across the southern Plains and much of Alaska. Elsewhere, it will be dry with brightskies.

U.S. Holiday Travel Weather Maps (December 24 through29)

Click here to enlarge the map below.

This year, Christmas and the start of Chanukah fall in the sameweek!

• Expect below-average temps from the mid-Atlantic states across the Southeast and Florida, from the Ohio Valley through the Heartland and the southern Plains, and throughout the Desert Southwest. It will turn very cold across Alaska. In other areas, temperatures will be milder thanaverage.
• Showers can impact travel and festivities over the southern Appalachians and Southeast, the Tennessee Valley and Texas–Oklahoma, and much of the Rockies through the Pacific Northwest and northernCalifornia.
• Snow can lead to a white Christmas from the Heartland into the southern High Plains, while a snowstorm can slow travel across Alaska. Elsewhere, it will be sunny and dry for holidaytravel.

→Read our White Christmas Forecast… Will it snow onChristmas?

For those attending New Year’s Eve celebrations followed by New Year’s Dayfestivities:

• Expect periods of snow in New York City and then flurries and a coldwind.
• In Atlanta, a few showers in the evening will transform into cool and rainyconditions.
• Look for a clear and chilly evening in Miami and, later, sunshine and awarmup.
• Nashville will experience mild weather with showers, while New Orleans will experience a dry evening followed by showers on New Year’sDay.
• In Chicago, periods of snow in the evening will be followed by rain and warmertemperatures.
• In Las Vegas and Los Angeles, it will be warm and dry in the evening, but periods of rain will occur on New Year’sDay.
• Across Seattle, it will be cold with rain andsnow.

Canadian Weather Summary: For the winter solstice (Saturday, December 21), Expect clear skies and mild temperatures in southern Quebec, southern Ontario, and the Prairies. Atlantic Canada and southern British Columbia will see rain and/or snow with near-to-above–normal temperatures. Rain and/or snow with colder conditions is forecasted for theYukon.

Click to enlarge the mapbelow.

For Christmas and the holidays, colder-than-normal temperatures are anticipated from Atlantic Canada into southern Quebec, plus very cold temperatures across the Yukon; in other regions, it will be milder than normal. Expect rain and/or snow showers over eastern Atlantic Canada and southern British Columbia. Heavy snow and a good chance of a white Christmas are expected across the western Prairies and the Yukon. Elsewhere, it will be clear anddry.

Weather and ClimatePatterns

Important factors in the upcoming winter include a neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to a weak La Niña. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) will be in a positive or warm phase, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) will be in a neutral to negative phase. Oscillations are linked to ocean-atmosphere patterns that influence the weather over periods of weeks toyears.

We are also monitoring solar activity, as there is a relationship between solar energy and the stratospheric winds near the equator (known as the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, or QBO). Under certain combinations, the polar vortex can be displaced from the North Pole, which can open the door for cold shots across the central and eastern United States and southern Canada this upcomingwinter.

→See our full 2024-2025 Winter Forecast Summary!

Don’t forget to order your copy of The2025 Old Farmer’s Almanac—a perfect stockingstuffer!