The Post also lamented that shoppers had a more difficult time completing their last-minute errands. Meanwhile, public transportation prepared for an “exodus” of travelers in the days following, as people watched the weather and planned their travel around the snow. The American Automobile Association still expected 250,000 area residents to set out for the long weekend, even though they would be driving in heavy snow. If anything, the snow caused greater pandemonium than usual. About 4 inches of snow fell as Washington’s Jewish communities began the first night of Hannukah. A surprise snowstorm rolled through late on Friday, December 21-the beginning of a long holiday weekend. Perhaps just as cynical as we are today, a staff writer commented that “the Weather Bureau is against it on statistical grounds.” They were proven wrong a few days later. ĭecember 1962 was cold and icy, but the Washington Post weather team didn’t think that snow would greatly impact the holiday season. A record-setting 5 inches fell on December 25, 1962-to date, it’s still the most snowfall recorded on Christmas Day. The most recent Christmas snowstorm came in 1969, when a little over 4 inches fell throughout the day. We’ve seen accumulative snow-that is, actually measurable snow that fell on December 25-just ten times in recorded history. Lately, we’ve tended to see more heat waves than blizzards.īut if your definition of a “white Christmas” is a bit stricter, the number dwindles considerably. It didn’t even stick, leaving just 0.2 tenths of an inch. In 2002, Washingtonians saw their most recent Christmas snowfall: a rainy morning gave way to a brief snow shower at midday. The last Christmas Day that featured any kind of snow was in 2009, when the leftovers of a record-setting snowstorm (popularly named “Snowmageddon”) were still on the ground. On average, the National Weather Service gives Washington a 15% chance at a white Christmas every year-in other words, every seven years, if we’re lucky. might not be the best place for you.ĭata shows that the Washington area has only had a handful of snowy holidays-nineteen, to be exact-since record keeping began in 1884. Those who celebrate Christmas, especially, are encouraged to dream of a “white Christmas.” But if a white Christmas is what you want, D.C. Somehow, December feels cozier when the air is cold, we’re all dressed in festive sweaters, and there’s a blanket of fresh snow covering the ground. If popular culture is to be believed, then snow is a must during the holidays.
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