White Christmas possible as cold weather hits NYC

Santa Claus might want to bundle up when he passes over New York City.

After a wet week, skies are likely to be dry Christmas Eve and Christmas day, the National Weather Service predicts. But rainfall starting Thursday could give way to snow showers beginning around 10 p.m. Friday evening, lasting roughly three hours. Temperatures are expected to drop below 20 degrees.

If snow showers come Friday night, below freezing Saturday and Sunday temperatures leave a possibility New Yorkers see a White Christmas. Both 30-degree days are expected to be at least partly sunny.

A “White Christmas” is defined by one or more inches of snow accumulation. The last time New York City had snow on Christmas was in 2009.

Sloppy weather will complicate travel for New Yorkers hitting the road in the coming days— particularly those traversing the I-95 corridor, which stretches from Maine to Florida.

I-95 Exit Guide recommends weekend travelers leaving town Friday avoid being on the road between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., when congestion will be its thickest. Saturday’s “Worst Travel Time” is between noon and 6 p.m.

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Travel weather throughout much of the nation looks unfriendly, particularly in southern states where an arctic air mass is on its way.

“We’re looking at much-below normal temperatures, potentially record-low temperatures leading up to the Christmas holiday,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor.

[ Driver tried to run down giant snowman, didn’t realize its base was a tree trunk ]

Nashville, Tenn., could see a low of five degrees Thursday, while Jackson, Miss. can expect temperatures in the low teens.

Friday night temperatures in Atlanta, Ga., are expected to drop to 13 degrees.

Parts of the northeast are digging their way out of weekend snowfall that police blame for more than 180 car crashes in Maine. More than 80,000 New Englanders were left without power Sunday morning.

AAA estimates more than 100 million will drive to their holiday destinations in the coming week.

With News Wire Services