CLEVELAND (WJW) — Santa Claus may be wearing an extra layer under his red coat this year.
According to FOX 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol, this Christmas could be the coldest overall nationwide since 2000.
Based on the depth of the cold late next week, this could be the coldest Christmas OVERAL ACROSS THE US since 2000 pic.twitter.com/JwXv3Eoldp
— Scott Sabol, Meteorologist CBM/CCM (@ScottSabolFOX8) December 15, 2022
That year, a cold outbreak brought Cleveland’s low temperature on Christmas morning down to just 4 degrees Fahrenheit. And based on the forecasting models right now, “we could see something very similar heading into this Christmas,” said FOX 8 meteorologist Mackenzie Bart.
The average high temperatures closing out December are in the 30s.
“That’s the one thing right now that we’re very sure of — we’re going to see well below average temperatures,” she said Thursday.
yes pic.twitter.com/selcO5GGVb
— Scott Sabol, Meteorologist CBM/CCM (@ScottSabolFOX8) December 15, 2022
What about a white Christmas?
The chance for snow on Christmas Day is around 80%.
Weather forecasters look for consistencies between various weather models to determine the most likely outcome, Bart said. So far, two of those models say snow will be on the ground by Friday.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that gets bumped up by next week,” Bart said.
And without temperatures warm enough to melt, it could stick around to Sunday, Christmas Day.
“As it stands now, it looks like there is a good chance there could be snow for Christmas” — though it’s still too early to tell how much, Bart said.
Be sure to tune into FOX 8 forecasts in this coming Monday and Tuesday, when the hour-by-hour outlook will get much more accurate, she said.
“We can give you a better look at the timing and some of the threats we’re going to see,” Bart said.
