Warmer temperatures are expected across Iowa moving into the week of Christmas. The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities says that the 8-14 day temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center is showing high probabilities of 80% or more that temperatures will be above normal. Normal highs for this time of year in Washington are in the mid-30s.

A white Christmas is described as having one inch of snow or more on the ground. And the odds of a white Christmas have been declining.State Climatologist Justin Glisan shares the amount of snow overall has decreased in Iowa over the decades, “Overall, you look at winter, the fastest warming season, about a half a degree increase in temperature per decade over the last 30 years, so we’re about 1.5 to 2 degrees above where we have been historically, going back 30, 40, 50 years. And that really tamps down on snowfall, we’ve actually seen a decline in snowfall through the winter months anywhere from 3 to 6 inches across the state.”

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