You might be interested to learn that Washington DC has only experienced 1inch or more of snow on Christmas Day 4 times in the last 50 years so what exactly are the chances of us experiencing a white Christmas this year? We thought we would analyze some facts and figures to help us figure out if it is likely or not!
If you’re in DC this festive season, why not take advantage of our DC After Dark Tour and witness this stunning city at night, during one of the most stunning times of the year!
Christmas Snow in Washington, DC
We recently read a report from Lauryn Ricketts who is a meteorologist from Storm Team 4. The report attempted to break down factors that might affect how the weather will pan out come the 25th. The most recent Christmas snow was back in 2009 when major snowstorms hit the region and there were over 6 inches on the ground from the 18th-19th December.
The report further concluded that based on historical data analysis and a reading of the National Climatic Data Center map that there is approximately an 11-25% chance that there will be at least a single inch of snow on the ground this year on December 25th. The data is based on historical evidence and probability from the last 30 years of weather around this time of year.
The data is based on a huge range of variables including daily and monthly temperatures, snowfall, precipitation, cooling and heating degree variations, freeze and frost dates and observations from over 9000 stations that are operated by the National Weather Service. The level of detail that has gone into some of the research is incredible and the best stat that we found was that since 1884, there have only been 9 occurrences with measurable snow that has fallen on Christmas Day.
Looking back to this year, it looks more likely that there could just be rain if anything with temperatures beginning to warm this week. This means that there may be a chance of rain over the weekend but in all honesty, it looks as if it could be a pretty dry Christmas Day. Nonetheless, weather forecasters can be mistaken just like anyone else so definitely keep an eye on the weather station if you are as keen as we are!
Additionally, if you are traveling then also keep an eye on the forecast to ensure as smooth a journey as possible. We will keep our fingers crossed for at least a little snow in DC and we hope everyone has an enjoyable Christmas! Please do get in touch if there is anything we can help you with this winter!