SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Cue “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.”

Whether you are shopping for gifts for family and friends or watching Christmas movies, snow always ties back to the perfect holiday and what most people dream about. If you have been outside recently, you know it is definitely beginning to feel more like Christmas outside, but the Ozarks are still missing snow!

Before diving into the present Christmas, let’s look at Christmas past.

A white Christmas for the Ozarks is pretty rare and only happens once every 10 years. “White Christmas” is defined as having at least one inch of snowfall on the ground. The last time the Ozarks had a white Christmas was back in 2009 with 1-3 inches on the ground! In 2010 snow fell, however, it was not enough to make a “white Christmas.”

This year we have a better chance than years past, only because of the frigid arctic air that will be engulfing the area next week. It could bring single-digit lows and highs well below freezing to the area in the days before Christmas.

It has been 12 years since an Ozarks white Christmas, which indicates we are due for snow on Christmas any year now. The model guidance is staying consistent with the possibilities right now; however, the exact track of this system won’t be known until 72 hours which is Tuesday.

Anything snow that falls over the next week will be sticking around for Christmas because temperatures won’t be above freezing until next week! If you are traveling make sure to have a safety kit handy with extra blankets as windchill values will be as low as 35 degrees below.

Needless to say, Santa will feel right at home with the frigid temperatures on Christmas Eve!

Stay tuned to the KOLR10 Weather Team as they prepare you for the upcoming winter weather.