Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Life in the Chihuahuan desert makes snow an uncommon occurrence in El Paso, so what weather conditions are most typical for the borderland this festive time of year? Christmas weather in far west Texas can feature wide ranges of winter temperatures, ranging from 73 to 22 degrees over the past 10 years! Pacific low pressure system are the most common sources of precipitation this time of year, usually in the form of lowland rain and mountain snow. Conditions have to be perfect for lowland snow, usually with the presence of a backdoor cold front undercutting a storm system. This story features a wealth of Christmas Day weather and climate information focused specifically on El Paso, TX. Weather records date back to 1879 (official weather data recorded at El Paso International Airport since 1942).

Temperatures: According to the entire period of record, the warmest Christmas on record was 75° in 1933 and the coldest low temperature was 10° in 1953. More recently, Christmas 2021 reached a high temperature of 73° and Christmas 2022 had a low temperature of 22°, quite the difference in just one year! Only 6-of-145 Christmas Days on record have features high temperatures 70° or warmer, but two of those have occurred in the last 10 years. On the opposite end, freezing overnight temperatures (below 32°) have occurred in 79-of-145 Christmas Days (55%) of low temperature recordings. One of the most bitterly cold in recent memory was the nationwide cold snap of Christmas 1983, with a high of 31° and a low of 13° for El Paso.

Precipitation/Snowfall: As for precipitation, only 14-of-145 Christmas Days (10%) had measurable precipitation. December is typically a dry month for the region, which makes rainfall more sporadic. The daily record for rainfall is 0.57” in 1948. Snow on Christmas Day is extremely rare, but possible. 10-of-144 Christmas Days featured some sort of snow in El Paso, most recently in 1997. Christmas 1974 was especially significant with a daily record 4 inches of snow that day. The historic 2015 winter storm which dumped 8 inches of snow on El Paso occurred the day after Christmas (Dec 26-27).

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"White Christmas" Probability: The map below, from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), depicts the probability of having a "White Christmas" based on 30-year normals from 1991-2020. A "White Christmas" is defined as having AT LEAST 1" of snow on the ground at the official early-AM observation time (5 AM MST in our area). As depicted, while the northern mountains of New Mexico and Colorado have good chances, snow in the Rio Grande valley is very uncommon. Most of southern New Mexico and far west Texas sits between a 0-10% chance of having a white Christmas. Specifically in El Paso, there has never been a white Christmas in recorded history, despite 10 Christmas Days with recorded snowfall. Snow depth rarely sticks around and any overnight snow has quickly melted before the morning observation time.
 

What Is The Historical Probability Of A White Christmas?

Based On 30-Year Normals (1991-2020) -- Click HERE for Interactive Map

 

 **2023 Christmas Recap for El Paso: **Very Average Christmas After Hottest Year On Record**

Christmas 2023 was about as climatologically average as you could get. A daily average temperature of 46 degrees was right near the 30-year climate average of 45 degrees. This Christmas fell within a cooling trend, as weather just a few days previous were much warmer. Lowland rain showers occurred on December 20-23, with a dusting of snow on the high mountains. The rest of the year was dry. Weather was very quiet in our region, despite a winter storm tracking across the Midwest. Portions of Nebraska and South Dakota saw a White Christmas, while El Paso and southern New Mexico were dry.

Sunny skies and light northwest flow brought about the beautiful day for family and community gatherings. 

 

Date	High Temp	Low Temp	Precip	Snow	Weather Summary
12/25/2023	55	37	0.00	0.0	Quiet, seasonal weather. Light northwest winds. Clear skies.

 

 

 

El Paso TX (1879-2023)	High Temp	Low Temp	Precip
30-Year Climate Normals (1991-2020)	57°	33°	0.01"
10-Year Averages (2014-2023)	62.5°	34.2°	0.00"

 

 

El Paso TX All-Time Christmas Records (Since 1879)
Warmest HIGH Temperature	75° in 1933, 73° in 2021
Coldest HIGH Temperature	31° in 1983
Warmest LOW Temperature	54° in 1964
Coldest LOW Temperature	10° in 1953
Most Precipitation on Record	0.57" in 1948 (trace of snow)
Snowiest on Record	4.1" in 1974
Years with Measurable Snowfall	1974, 1982, 1987, 1997

 

Top 5 Warmest Highs	Top 5 Coldest Lows	Top 5 Highest Precip	Top 5 Snowiest
75° in 1933	10° in 1953	0.57" in 1948	4.1" in 1974
73° in 2021	13° in 1983	0.46" in 1974	4.0" in 1982
71° in 2017	17° in 1990	0.24" in 1982	2.1" in 1987
71° in 1971	17° in 1973	0.23" in 1991	1.0" in 1997
70° in 1980	18° in 1981	0.20" in 1987	T in 1991

 
 

When is the last time _______ happened on Christmas in El Paso?

Last occurrence of 70°+:                             73° in 2021   Last time high temperature 50° or colder: 44° in 2011    Last time high temperature 40° or colder: 40° in 2002   Last time low temperature 40° or warmer: 41° in 2015   Last time low temperature 20° or colder:   19° in 2004 Last time measurable precipitation fell (0.01"+): 0.06" in 2000   Last time ANY snow fell (T or 0.1"+):                      1.0" in 1997   Last time at least 1" of snow on ground at 5 AM:    Never

 
 

Christmas Over THE LAST 30 YEARS...Since 1994

High temperatures have ranged from 38° (1997) to 73° (2021)   Low temperatures have ranged from 19° (2004, 2001) to 43° (2003)   The high temperature has reached 60° or higher eleven times! (2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2000)   The low temperature has dipped below 30° twelve times  (2022, 2020, 2011, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001, 1998, 1997, 1995)   Measurable precipitation (0.01"+) has fallen only three times! (2000, 1999, 1997)   Measurable snow (0.1"+) has fallen one time (1.0" in 1997)

 

 

The 10 Most Recent Christmases in El Paso (2014-2023):
Date	High Temp	Low Temp	Precip	Snow
12/25/2014	68	34	0.00	0.0
12/25/2015	68	41	0.00	0.0
12/25/2016	55	36	0.00	0.0
12/25/2017	71	35	0.00	0.0
12/25/2018	66	38	0.00	0.0
12/25/2019	60	35	0.00	0.0
12/25/2020	51	22	0.00	0.0
12/25/2021	73	42	0.00	0.0
12/25/2022	58	22	0.00	0.0
12/25/2023	55	37	0.00	0.0
10-Year Averages	62.5°	34.2°	0.00"	0.0"