DALLAS — "I'm … dreaming... of a white... Christmas... Just like the ones I used to know???"
There's just no chance Bing Crosby ever lived in Texas. Not if he's familiar with White Christmases.
And that's especially the case this year, as temperatures are seasonal, with most of the rain drying out by Christmas morning.
But it's still fun to dream!
So let's take a look at North Texas' past White Christmases and our odds at getting one each year as compared to the rest of the nation:
What defines a White Christmas?
There's a very precise definition, and it's simple. There needs to be an inch of snow (or more) on the ground on Christmas Day.
That's it.
It doesn't need to be falling on Christmas Day, and it doesn't have to be a snow burial.
The national odds
I don't think it's a surprise, but our overall chances in Texas are just not great.
No, it's not zero! But DFW is no Chicago or Denver when it comes to snow on the ground for Christmas.
Where in Texas can you go to increase your odds a little bit? The Panhandle! While the chances are not great, it's better than the overall less than 5% chance we have across North Texas in any given year.
# Location Odds of Having a White Christmas
1 Hereford 12.4%
T1 Pampa 12.4%
3 Hartley 12.2%
4 Perryton 12%
5 Umbarger 11.5%
6 Dalhart 10.8%
7 Friona 9.9%
8 Amarillo 9.3%
9 Borger 8.9%
10 Dimmitt 8.4%
When was the last White Christmas in DFW?
Do you remember 2009 and 2012? It was a magical Christmas for many in North Texas! And those were the last White Christmases in the area. So, it's been a while. Some might even say we're overdue...
From the records of the National Weather Service, 2009:
On Dec. 24, rare blizzard conditions impacted areas mainly northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Some locations received as much as nine inches of snow from Jacksboro to Bowie to northwestern Cooke County. Winds gusted over 50 mph, with drifts as high as three to five feet. Portions of U.S. Highway 287 between Decatur and Wichita Falls were impassable from Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. The three inches of snow at DFW Airport was the first measurable snowfall on record for Christmas Eve. In Montague County, snow remained on the ground into the new year.
From the records of the National Weather Service, 2012:
On December 25th, a strong upper level system and cold front first brought hail-producing thunderstorms to the region, then a winter weather event that included snow and sleet. The storms produced lots of pea-sized hail and occasionally slightly larger hail. The snow fell generally north of a line from Breckenridge to Palestine. The greatest concentration of heavy snow was in western Denton County and Collin County where 4-6 inches of snow fell. There were also isolated locations that received 4-6 inches of snow in Parker, Grayson, Fannin, Hunt, and Emory counties. The overall impacts from the sleet and snow were minimal, but there were the usual impacts on transportation in the region when the snow froze on area roads that night; especially on elevated roadways, bridges, and overpasses.
Other notable Christmas wintry weather stats in North Texas history
The National Weather Service records show four occurrences of snow on Christmas Day in North Texas, two occurrences of sleet/ice pellets, and one occurrence of freezing rain or freezing drizzle.
Those same records show six occurrences of snow on Christmas Eve, and one occurrence each of sleet/ice pellets and freezing rain/freezing drizzle.
The very first recorded instance of a White Christmas in North Texas goes all the way back to 1841, when soldiers "were tracking a bear in six inches of snow in what is now Dallas," according to the Weather Service archives.
There was also this entry from 1879: "There was an inch of sleet and snow on the ground on Christmas Day. In one account, the sleet and snow was said to have been so compacted that a horse's hoof did not leave an imprint."
The Weather Service also recorded notable snow or ice events on or around Christmas in 1887, 1914, 1924, 1926, 1943, 1948, 1963, 1975, and 2004. Read the full history on the Weather Service website here.
