So, will all these fallen flakes stick around long enough — or will more fall in the days ahead — to give the Lawrence area a white Christmas?

Depends on Old Man Winter.

“Temperatures are cold enough now, and we’re not expected to get out of this cold snap for a while,” said Matt Elwell, 6News meteorologist. “By default, we may have a white Christmas.”

Sleet, freezing rain and perhaps more snow could fall tonight into Thursday, Elwell said, possibly adding to the blanket already on the ground. Expect temperatures to sneak above freezing Thursday and Friday before dipping back down again.

“We’re not really warming up a lot,” he said.

Historically, the National Weather Service figures that the area stands from an 11 percent to 25 percent chance of having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground by the time the kids arise looking for gifts from Santa.

That’s a projection based on years of climatological data, not a detailed look into next week’s forecast.

“History has no bearing on this year,” Elwell said. “The weather that’s going to be here on Christmas hasn’t even formed yet on the globe.”