Jackson Area Christmas Day Climatology

Jackson Area

High Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Jackson Airport	56.4°F	80°F (2015) 80°F (1942) 79°F (2016) 78°F (1964) 77°F (1944) 77°F (1922)	21°F (1983) 30°F (1985) 34°F (1918) 35°F (1998) 38°F (2004/1980/1924)

Low Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Jackson Airport	36.1°F	70°F (1987) 68°F (1982) 67°F (2015) 64°F (1942) 63°F (1904)	7°F (1983) 13°F (1985) 14°F (1966) 19°F (1990) 21°F (1989)

Location	Wettest Years	Years With Measurable Precipitation/Total Years
Jackson Airport	4.15" (1926) 3.44" (2012) 2.06" (1982) 1.42" (1975) 1.21" (1973)	35/121 (29%)

1973 - Heavy rains caused flooding across portions of central Mississippi, though the worst flooding took place over other areas of the state. The Yazoo River at Yazoo City crested above flood stage at 32.8 feet on Christmas Day.
1974 - Heavy rain caused Tuscolameta Creek to flood at Walnut Grove, where it crested at 29.3 feet on Christmas Day.
1982 - Heavy rain caused flooding in the Jackson metro area. During the afternoon, six families were forced to evacuate their homes due to rapidly rising creeks. Numerous cars were flooded, and one was completely submerged.
1983 - Extreme cold gripped the Deep South. Four people died in the state of Mississippi as a result of exposure.
1989 - A cold wave affected the Deep South, with the coldest air occurring during the days leading up to Christmas. The low temperatures caused water lines to freeze and break across the area. In Jackson, at least 200 water mains broke, causing a loss of water pressure. Some residents lost water service altogether.
2012 - Strong to severe thunderstorms affected central Mississippi. A 72 mph wind gust was recorded at Jackson International Airport. Some trees and fences were downed around the airport and in Flowood. Additionally, there were other isolated reports of trees and power lines downed around the area. Lightning caused a fire that destroyed a home in Madison. Flash flooding was reported around the Jackson metro area.
2015 - An early evening EF-0 tornado occurred near Pineville in Smith County. The tornado damaged a chicken house and downed trees.

It goes without saying, the probability of experiencing a White Christmas in central Mississippi is very, very low. However, locales in the Jackson area have seen at least one White Christmas over the last century, and a few areas have seen two or three. The map below from the National Climatic Data Center shows the probability of seeing a White Christmas based on past Christmas weather conditions. To qualify as an official White Christmas the snow depth must be at least one inch on Christmas Day. The snowfall does not necessarily need to occur on Christmas Day.

Below is a listing of past White Christmases and a few close calls.

1855 - According to diaries from the Jackson/Hinds County area, sleet and snow fell from the night of Christmas Eve and throughout the day Christmas. According to Holden Garther Evans' diary entry from 12/25 "...heavy sleet last night and continues through the day." Then on the 27th, it was noted "clear & very cold...the snow is not melting much." A journal from John J. Birdsong near Brownsville indicated "Christmas Day...Snow on the ground this morning...Snowing and sleeting all day..."
1913 - Rain on Christmas Eve night changed over to light snow on Christmas morning in a few areas. Where it fell, the snow melted on contact, thus it was not an official White Christmas. Light snow was reported at Canton and Shoccoe in Madison County and Edinburg in Leake County.
1929 - Between December 21st and 23rd, a significant winter storm dropped 6 to 11 inches of snow across the central Mississippi area, with 11" reported at Utica, 8" at Crystal Springs, Edinburg, and Yazoo City, 7.5" at Jackson, and 6" in Lake. Cold temperatures over the following days allowed snow to stay on the ground for several days. Edinburg was the only station in central Mississippi that reported daily snow depths in the days following the actual snowfall, and there was still 2" on the ground there on Christmas Day. The Clarion Ledger from 12/26 indicated that snow remained on the ground in Jackson Christmas morning, but sunny and warmer conditions on Christmas Day melted most of the snow by sunset. "Here and there in the fields could be found patches of snow, but it was fast dwindling away when the sun went down."
1962 - A cold rain event occurred on Christmas Eve. In a few areas, including Yazoo City and Carthage, some light sleet and light snow mixed in with the rain, but there were no significant accumulations. No wintry precipitation was reported on the ground on Christmas Day.
1963 - A significant winter storm affected the entire area between December 20th and 22nd. Central Mississippi was in a transition zone between snowier conditions to the north and an ice storm to the south. The city of Jackson was on the icy side of this transition, with freezing rain being the predominant precipitation type. Precipitation began in most locations as snow, then gradually changed over to ice from south to north through the event. Precipitation types wavered back and forth along the I-20 corridor toward the end of the event, with some locations switching back to snow. Accumulation amounts ranged from 7" at Yazoo City and 6" at Carthage and Ofahoma, where there was more snow than ice, to 1" at Allen in Copiah County and 1.3" at Jackson and White Oak, where there was more ice. The event was followed by record cold conditions, with temperatures in the single digits in many locations (below zero temperatures were reported farther north in the state). It was so cold that Lake Hazle in Copiah County froze over completely for the first time in the memory of local residents. These cold conditions allowed much of the ice and snow to remain on the ground through Christmas morning, making it an official White Christmas mainly for some areas north of I-20. Among observing sites that were reporting snow depth, Carthage reported 1" on the ground Christmas Day, and Jackson reported a trace.
1998 - Though it wasn't a White Christmas in the classical sense, it looked like one over much of the area. An ice storm impacted the region from the evening of December 22nd through early Christmas morning. This primarily affected the counties along the I-20 corridor and northward, with the biggest accumulations outside of the Jackson area - across northeast Louisiana and north central Mississippi. Closer to Jackson, the Yazoo City and Carthage areas saw the most ice. Power outages were widespread across the area, and holiday travel was significantly impacted.
2010 - There was no official White Christmas in central Mississippi, but some locations experienced brief periods of show showers or snow flurries on Christmas Day.