CHICAGO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- There is a 40 percent chance for Chicago to have a white Christmas this year.
Based on climate normals from 1981-2010, the National Centers for Environmental Information predicts O'Hare International Airport, Chicago's official recording site since 1980, has a 37 percent probability of a white Christmas in 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.
The National Weather Service considers Christmas to be white only when snow depth on the ground is one inch or more in the morning of Dec. 25.
Chicago reported the most snowfall on Christmas Day in 1950, when 5.1 inches of snow blanketed the ground.
Chicago had 2 inches of snow on the ground heading into Christmas Day in 2016, marking the city's first white Christmas since 2013.
There were only eight Christmas with snowfall exceeding 2 inches between 1871 and 2016 at Chicago's official recording site, while 57 Christmas had no snow at all.
