Weather Tidbits: Historical Chances for a White Christmas

This edition of Weather Tidbits discusses the historical chances for a White Christmas. Chances for a White Christmas highly depend on both elevation, latitude, and distance from the ocean. The National Weather Service defines a White Christmas as at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at 7AM on Christmas morning. Locations at a high elevation and/or latitude, as well as further inland away from the ocean, will generally have an easier time achieving a White Christmas. Interior locations are more favored because ocean temperatures in December are warmer than in January and February. This is a major reason why Delmarva has a very low chance of a White Christmas. Based on 1991-2020 climatology, Delmarva has a less than 10% chance of seeing a White Christmas. Since 1906, we’ve had only a handful of years with a White Christmas. 1966 was the snowiest with 6 inches on the ground. 1989 saw 1 inch, and that was the last time Salisbury had a White Christmas.