St. Louis Has a Lousy 1.8 Percent Chance of a White Christmas This Year

There will be no glistening treetops in St. Louis this year, a new study says

Dec 13, 2023 at 8:28 am

A snowman gives up in St. Louis' Southwest Garden neighborhood. FLICKR/PAUL SABLEMAN

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Dreaming of a white Christmas this year? If you'll be here in St. Louis, you may want to adjust your expectations.

It's not just that the weather continues to feel more like fall than winter this month, with high temps this week predicted to soar yet again past 50 degrees. No, on top of that, a new study suggests St. Louis' chances of having snow on Christmas in 2023 stand at just 1.8 percent. You have a better chance of scoring a rez at Wright's Tavern, we'd wager, than an inch of white stuff on December 25.

The study comes from online gambling site BonusFinder.com, which is just trying to promote people wasting money on even more unlikely odds (remember, the house always wins). Even so, the authors say they did their homework, tallying white Christmases over the past 20 years for 450 different American cities, analysis of their trends in snowfall, and the total number of snowy days in December.

Want a white Christmas this year? Best get to Montpelier, Vermont, where BonusFinder calculates the odds of a white Christmas at 98.6 percent — highest in the U.S.

Highest odds in the Midwest belong to Ely, Minnesota, at 98.1 percent. Highest odds in Missouri? St. Joseph, with a lousy 7.6 percent probability. Even if you really, really love snow, it's probably not worth driving across the state for that.

VIDEO: Snow Melting Off the Gateway Arch Creates Cool Waterfall: Shout-out to the Arch for controlling the weather, too

Slideshow

15 St. Louis Holiday Traditions You Don't Want to Miss

St. Charles Christmas TraditionsSt. Charles (discoverstcharles.com/events/christmas-traditions)Every year, Main Street in St. Charles transforms into a holiday wonderland with St. Charles Christmas Traditions, a festival that allows visitors to step back in time and experience the season the old-fashioned way. We're talking chestnuts actually roasting on the fire, Santas from all around the world, carolers, carriage rides, beloved holiday characters and more. It’s on offer every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 24.

Garden GlowMissouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard, mobot.org)This annual favorite is better than ever this year, with elevated s’mores from the S’more Shack and a giant dance floor that lights up and makes noise when you step on it. Rest assured the classics are back, too, with tunnels of candy cane-colored lights and some terrifically lit trees. Rent a s’mores pit to up the fun factor.

The Way of LightsOur Lady of Snows Shrine (442 South DeMazenod Drive, Belleville, Illinois; snows.org/wayoflights)If you like your Christmas traditions old school — meaning both charmingly low-key and with a heavy dose of religion — you’ll love the Way of Lights at Our Lady of Snows Shrine in Belleville. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate offer a driveable loop of lighted displays perfect for younger kids, which culminate in a manger scene. It’s free (though donations are encouraged), as is the petting zoo at the end. Why not splurge for an $8 camel ride or some concession-style eats?

Anheuser-Busch Brewery turns on the holiday lights this weekend.

The NutcrackerThe Touhill (1 Touhill Circle, stlouisballet.org/thenutcracker)The St. Louis Ballet mounts a full roster of performances of The Nutcracker, with numerous options to accommodate the younger ballet lover in your life (think: 2 p.m. matinees, 6 p.m. evening performances). Wisely, the ballet is also a briskly paced two hours including intermission — so even the non-ballet lovers roped into joining you for the Sugar Plum Fairy can manage their annoyance. Not into driving to UMSL? On December 22 only, you can also catch a traveling production making a two-show stop at the Fabulous Fox. Details at nutcracker.com.

Ice Skating in Forest ParkSteinberg Rink (400 Jefferson Drive, steinbergrink.com)Strangely enough, the “largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest” isn’t located in some godforsaken place that’s always freezing like Milwaukee or Minnesota but rather right here in balmy St. Louis. General admission is just $6 with skates another $10. And if you’re too busy before Christmas, never fear — this tradition runs all the way into early March.

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About The Author

Sarah Fenske

Sarah Fenske is the executive editor of the RFT and its sister papers. She is the former host of St. Louis on the Air and continues to host its Legal Roundtable, as well participating as an occasional panelist on Nine PBS' Donnybrook. She lives in St. Louis.

Email Sarah Fenske