White Christmas for New England?

(NECN: Lauren Collins) - From mudslides and flooding out west, to blizzard conditions in the Midwest, and a foot of snow on the Cape, seems nearly everywhere has extreme weather.

"I don't really know if there is a normal anymore," smiles New Hampshire State Climatologist and UNH Professor Mary Stampone.  

One place accustomed to big storms is suspiciously bare.  With just three days until Christmas, kids in central New England are on edge.

"We've been talking about whether or not we're going to have a snowy Christmas," says Karen Stewart of her toddler son.
At Charmingfaire farm in Candia, New Hampshire, the sleds are under tarps, the sleigh bells on horse drawn wagons as Santa makes a stop to greet school children.

"They'll come out the farm and say 'well we don't have snow!' and I say, 'well we have a little bit of snow.  It's snowing right now,'" says Santa.

It's easy to get excited about these mid-week flakes.  After all, we have been awfully spoiled the last few Christmases.  But don't get your hopes up.  

"We' e not expected to get a lot of snow.  I think at most they're talking one to three inches.  Right now it's not really sticking to the ground," notes Stampone who says you can blame cold air from Canada that's kept it chilly in New England  but intercepts the snow as it comes east.

"The storms have been pushed a little bit out to sea and so that's why areas, coastal areas, closer to the center of the storm are getting more of the precipitation than we are a little bit further west. " Head way out west and you're in the path of La Niña.  "That's funneling this, kind of river of moisture onto the west coast," she explains.

Much like an El Niño - which brought plenty of snow last December -- a La Niña winter promises to bring some climatic surprises.  If it's a white Christmas you want head south.

"All my friends on the cape, they're having , oh they're having a wonderful time" says Santa.

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