Survey: Many Ohioans hoping for a white Christmas this year

Dreaming of a white Christmas? If you live in Ohio, you are not alone. A recent survey by Bet Ohio, a website that ranks and rates sports betting offerings in the state, found that 59% of Americans are hoping for a white Christmas this year. Ohioans are among the top in the nation, with 71% putting it on their wish list.

Being a betting website, Bet Ohio also crunched the odds of a white Christmas in Ohio using data collected by the National Weather Service. To be considered a white Christmas, at least 1 inch of snow has to be on the ground at 7 a.m. on Dec. 25.

What are the odds of a white Christmas in Ohio this year?

There is about a 28% chance of a white Christmas in Ohio and a 6% chance in Kentucky, according to data collected by the weather service.

But Ohio is a big state, and weather can vary from snow in Cleveland to sunny skies in Cincinnati. According to the past 10 years of Christmas weather data from the weather service, Cleveland has a 39.7% chance of a white Christmas, Columbus has a 22.6% chance and Cincinnati has a 12.9% chance.

What cities in Ohio have the best odds for a white Christmas?

There are some communities in Ohio that stand a better chance of a white Christmas.

The best odds are 60% in Chardon in Geauga County, where Lake Erie fuels lake effect snow squalls. The secondbest chance, according to weather records, is in Dorset in Ashtabula County with a 51.1% chance.

Rounding out the top five places in Ohio for a white Christmas this year: Hiram has a 50.4% chance, and Brunswick and the Youngstown-warren Regional Airport region have a 44.7% chance.