White Christmas in Tucson is No More Than a Dream

Snow collects on cactus on Tucson's northwest side.

Colleen Greer, AZPM

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By Sara Hammond, Arizona Science Desk

Southern Arizonans dreaming of a white Christmas will have to keep dreaming.

Weather forecasters say the western United States will see a potent storm Christmas week moving in from the Pacific Northwest bringing snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and the higher elevations in Arizona, and rain throughout much of the rest of the region.

The storm is not part of the El Niño pattern, the forecasters said.

For the 28th year in a row, Tucson and desert environs will see what we see most days – beautiful desert landscapes with no snow cover. In fact, most of the United States will be without snow.

There is going to be “very little white Christmas east of the Mississippi, east of the Rockies,” said Stephen Baxter, a seasonal forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Snow tires won't be needed when going to grandma’s house.

The Arizona Science Desk is a collaboration of public broadcasting entities in the state, including Arizona Public Media.