With snow falling in New York City and DC, it’s starting to look like a white Christmas Eve

But can area residents expect a white Christmas? It seems unlikely. The snow is expected to last for about two hours and dissipate quickly, with conditions improving by early Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday morning, the forecast for Christmas Day is cool but dry across the northeast.

The frosty temperatures are also likely to ease in the northeast.

“Much of the East Coast region will experience a weakening of cold temperatures through Christmas Eve as the Arctic surface high moves away from the coast and milder air from the Ohio Valley moves eastward across the region,” the National Weather Service said.

A storm system continues to the west, bringing lowland rain to the region and snow to the mountains.

About 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected along the coast from the Pacific Northwest to central California, while the Sierra Nevada could see up to a foot of snow.

Residents are advised to stay away from the coast, where “dangerous and life-threatening beach conditions” were observed with coastal flooding, according to the weather service’s Bay Area field office.