Is there a snowball's chance in Philly?

WITH DEC. 25 a week away, it's time to ask: Any shot at a White Christmas?

The answer for Pennsylvania, according to weather.com, seems to be:

Yes, no, and maybe. And even that may be optimistic.

According to the website's White Christmas map, snow is "likely" early next week in the western half of the state, "possible" along a band from Harrisburg to Scranton, and "not likely" in Philadelphia, its immediate suburbs, New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Maryland.

But even in Pittsburgh and State College, there's no more than a 20 percent chance of snow on Christmas or the day before, according to weather.com's own extended forecasts.

In Philadelphia, it should get cold enough, with freezing temperatures overnight from Saturday through Dec. 26. But precipitation is a longshot, with a 10 percent chance, says Weather.com, and a "partly sunny" forecast by AccuWeather. com.

Historically, snow on Christmas is infrequent in Philly.

Only twice in the last 45 years has Dec. 25 dawned in Philadelphia with an inch or more on the ground, according to the National Weather Service: 2009 (8 inches) and 1998 (1 inch).