With Christmas fast approaching, meteorologists are getting a firm handle on who will wake up to a snowy scene on the big day.
Though some areas are all but guaranteed a white Christmas, nationally, it's looking rather bleak for many snow lovers: “More than 45% of the lower 48 states had snow on the ground just a few weeks ago," said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather lead long-range expert, in an e-mail to USA TODAY.
"Roughly half of that snow coverage has melted away. Many snow lovers are going to be disappointed this Christmas," he said.
MAPS: See live forecast maps for Christmas week
Indeed, as of the morning of Dec. 23, the Lower 48 states were only 18% snow-covered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
