10-day forecast hints of white Christmas

Yes, Virginia, there is snow mentioned for Christmas Eve in the 10-day forecast.

"Scattered snow showers" are predicted from Doylestown to Downingtown, according to weather.com.

Even Philadelphia and its Jersey burbs have some hope, with temperatures falling below freezing and "rain/snow" suggested.

It's too early to say "expected."

Especially with the probabilities 40 percent or less.

The National Weather Service projects only for seven days, because things get "fuzzy" after about four, said meteorologist Valerie Meola, with the Mount Holly office.

Of going out to 10 days, she said, "it would all just be conjecture" - even if computer models are involved.

"Christmas Day will be in Friday afternoon's forecast," she said.

"New-fallen snow" on the morning of Dec. 25 would certainly be an upset.

In 1966, a foot of snow lay on the ground Christmas morning in Philadelphia.

That's much more than the total of all the holiday flakes here since.

Only once - in 1998 - did we awaken to as much as an inch, and that was mostly from a storm two days before.

In 2002, snow late Christmas eve was followed by overnight rain, which was followed by more than a half-inch of snow. Allentown, though, did get more than half a foot.

Two inches fell on Philly in 1969.

1993 and 1976 sprinkled less than a quarter-inch.

Otherwise, there's a been a "trace" - a dusting or some aerial flakes - ten times, counting Christmas Eve, in Philadelphia since 1966.

Check out the list at www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/xmasclimate.html.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.