Winter blast could deliver white Christmas from Great Lakes to Maine

Snow on Christmas? Unless you live in the northeast or upper west, dream on.

But for folks from western Pennsylvania to Maine, chances of a white Christmas are looking great, thanks to a storm out of the Midwest.

The winter system aims to converge with a storm along the Atlantic, setting up a powerful nor'easter on Christmas.

"Enough snow to shovel and plow is likely from central and eastern Ohio, western and northern Pennsylvania and southern Ontario to Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as one inch of snow on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25. It need not snow on Christmas Day.

In the West, numerous winter weather advisories and a handful of winter storm warnings are in effect from Oregon to western Nebraska, with new snow for Christmas possible in the western high and central Plains, the Dakotas and upper Mississippi Valleys.

The dream has been fullfilled in the Rockies and parts of Midwest, where snow is already on the ground.

In the East, snow is expected to spread into the central Appalachians Sunday evening, then move across New York state, northern New Jersey and much of New England later Sunday night into Christmas morning.

Cities like Albany, N.Y., Worcester, Mass., Rutland, Vt., Concord, N.H., and Portland, Maine, could get 6 inches of snow or more, according to AccuWeather.

Snow, at least enough to cover the ground, is also possible from near Philadelphia to New York City, to coastal Massachusetts.

Forecasters expect little or no snow farther south and west along the coast, leaving Baltimore and Washington, D.C., out of luck for a white Christmas

The USA's fascination with a white Christmas dates back to 1942, when Bing Crosby first crooned the wistful song in the film Holiday Inn.

Written by Irving Berlin, the song's lyrics bring out a romanticized image of Christmases past, "just like the ones I used to know." A second movie — White Christmas, also with Crosby — came out in 1954.

Despite Crosby's wishes, only 25% to 30% of the 48 contiguous states are typically snow-covered by Christmas, according to AccuWeather.

Contributing: Doyle Rice