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Back-to-Back Pacific Storms to Impact the West Coast; Heavy Snow in the Central Appalachians

Back-to-back powerful Pacific storm systems to impact the Pacific Northwest and northern California through the end of this week with heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow. A strong, long-duration atmospheric river will accompany the Pacific storms, bringing excessive rainfall and flash flooding to southwest Oregon and northwest California through the week. Read More >

Amarillo, TX

Weather Forecast Office

Christmas Climatology for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles

Weather.gov > Amarillo, TX > Christmas Climatology for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles
Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles Christmas Climatology
Average High: 49° F Avearge Low: 24° F Average Precip: 0.02" Average Snow: 0.17"

 

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) defines a White Christmas as a snow depth of at least 1 inch observed on December 25.  This does not mean it must snow on Christmas, but rather, it means that it must either snow 1 inch on Christmas or 1 inch of snow from a previous day must still be on the ground.

On any given year, what is the probability of seeing a White Christmas in the Panhandles?  The map below shows the probabilities to be less than 10 percent across most of the area, but there are a few locations that have a probability between 10 and 25 percent.  This does not mean is that there is a 10 percent chance of a White Christmas occurring every year over the Texas Panhandle.  Instead, what it does mean is that a White Christmas has been observed ~10 percent of the time across our area.  At Amarillo, a White Christmas has been observed 12 times since 1892 (about 9 percent of the time), last occurring in 2012.

 

Probabilities of a White Christmas

View the data record for Christmas Day at Amarillo, 1892-2020

Based on climate data from 1892-2020, for Christmas Day at Amarillo, the average high is 49° F, the average low is 24° F, the average precipitation is 0.02", and the average snowfall is 0.17".

 

Christmas Day Quick Facts
Warmest Christmas high temperature: 73° F in 1979 and 1971
Coldest Christmas high temperature: 14° F in 1983
Coldest Christmas low temperature: 2° F in 1983
Warmest Christmas low temperature: 45° F in 1936
Wettest Christmas: 0.44" in 1939
Snowiest Christmas: 4.6" in 1939
Number of times with measurable precipitation on Christmas: 16 times out of 129 years (12%)
Number of times with snow (trace or more) on Christmas: 12 times out of 129 years (9%)

 

Last Time It Happened

Temperature of 60° F or higher: 64° F in 2020
Temperature of 70° F or higher: 72° F in 2008

Temperature of 20° F or lower: 11° F in 2012
Rainfall: 0.06" in 2016
Rainfall total of 0.10" or higher: 0.21" in 2011
Snowfall: 2.0" in 2012
Snowfall total of 1.0" or higher: 2.0" in 2012
Back-to-back White Christmases: 2011 and 2012
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