White Christmas in Texas, not Mass.?

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. outlook for a white Christmas is all over the map, with the Texas Panhandle more likely to see snow than parts of the Plains states, forecasters said.

"The storm track has been pushed down into the Southwestern states, allowing cold air to come down farther south in the Rockies (this year). This has set the stage for snow events in the Texas Panhandle," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

The Texas Panhandle is recovering for a blizzard earlier this week, Seven inches of snow fell in Dalhart, whose previous snowfall record was a paltry 0.1 inches.

The northern Plains states, which see a white Christmas three out of every four years, look to be dry through the rest of 2011.

"The northern Plains and the southern Prairies (of Canada) have generally been in a dry pattern. Storms have been missing these areas with not much precipitation falling at all," Anderson said.

While parts of the Northeast may see snowfall on Christmas Day, the ground is unlikely to be blanketed.

"Any snow that falls in the Northeast is melting more quickly because the ground is much warmer than it typically is," Anderson said.

Great Lakes states also are experiencing warmer-than-normal temperatures, preventing the heavy snowfall that is typical for this time of year.