Snow on Christmas Day?

NOAA's Temperature Outlook for late December 2016

The first half of this December couldn’t be more different than last December.  Then again, last December was the warmest on record in Washington, D.C. and also occurred during a major episode of El Nino.  The average high and low temperatures in Washington, D.C. on December 25 are 44 and 30 degrees, respectively, while last Christmas saw a near record high of 69 degrees.

This month’s average temperature at National Airport through December 17 (combining daily high and low temperatures) is just 0.1 degree cooler than average.  By comparison, over the same period last year, Washington, D.C. was nearly 9 degrees warmer than average with multiple record highs.  The warmest temperature to occur in the Nation’s Capital during the first half of December 2015 was 71 degrees.  The warmest temperature to occur at National Airport so far this month is 67 degrees that occurred today.

Another interesting difference between last December and the first half of this month has been the recent cold snap.  Friday, December 16, was the coldest December day in the Nation’s Capital since 2010, with a high temperature of only 30 degrees, following a morning low temperature of 17 degrees.  There was only one below freezing temperature in Washington, D.C. during all of last December, when the low temperature was 30 degrees on December 19.

Despite the cold weather that has enveloped much of the Northeast over the last several days, NOAA expects above average temperatures during the second half of the month in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Although the mild temperatures this morning will give way to colder than average temperatures for the first portion of the work week, temperatures will rebound as the week progresses.  Things are not looking good for area residents hoping for a white Christmas this year.

Although Washingtonians do occasionally see a white Christmas, having snow on or prior to Christmas is relatively rare.  The last time there was snow on the ground on Christmas Day from a previous storm in the Nation’s Capital was in 2009.  The last time snow fell on December 25 in Washington, D.C. was in 2002.  The trend hasn’t been encouraging for snow lovers the last few years in the DC Metro Region.  Ten of the last 15 Decembers have been warmer than average in Washington, D.C., including the last five straight.  However, DC residents have had measureable snowfall in nine of the last fifteen Decembers, although it didn’t last long.