National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Dunleavy confirmed there will be no snow anytime between now and Christmas, saying any no snow fans are in luck. Though there won’t be any snow, Dunleavy said people can still expect precipitation over the Christmas holiday.

“There is a system coming in on Christmas, but it will mostly be rain,” he said. “The temperatures will be upper 40s to low 50s. Rainfall is expected to start around sunrise on Christmas Eve, continuing into the night and Christmas Day. It will be most widespread overnight. It will probably clear up by dinner on Christmas Day. It is going to be a brown, dreary holiday.”

Dunleavy said a low-pressure system is the main culprit behind keeping the temperatures up, while the cold air is kept much further north. With other factors, Dunleavy said there is not a remote chance snow would stay on the ground, much less come from the air.

“Any snow would melt very quickly,” he said. “Part of this has to deal with the El Nino system, which has kept us snow-free and mostly warmer. The brief cold spite we’ve had recently will turn into warmer temperatures soon.”

Gertie the Goose has not needed to wear their scarf yet this winter due to the lack of snow and higher temperatures. Meteorologist Ryan Dunleavy said the last measured instance of no snow up to this point in the Christmas season was in 1943.

With this cold spurt giving way to more fall-like temperatures, this year’s winter will continue to be much hotter and drier than average. Where precipitation is tracked in the Twin Cities, Dunleavy said there hasn’t been a winter this snowless this late since 1943. He said much of this has to do with where the jet streams are flowing.

“Last year we would get system after system back after back over much of Minnesota,” Dunleavy said. “With the jetstream well to our south this year, we aren’t getting as many systems. Most of them either go to our south or break up before it gets to us. There aren’t any forces to make those systems and snow come back up.”

Even though it won’t be cold or slushy, Dunleavy said the wet weather could still create issues on the road. He said people should make sure to have safe driving practices, like having their lights on and keeping a larger following distance from other cars.

“We want people to have a safe holiday,” Dunleavy said.