Dreaming of a White Christmas

What are the chances of seeing snow on Christmas day in Nashville?

Statistically there is a 19 percent chance of snow (trace or more) on any given Christmas day in Nashville and an 8 percent chance of measurable snow (0.1 inch or more).

What years did Nashville see a white Christmas?

Snow has been measured in Nashville since the winter of 1884 and 1885 when the Army Signal Corps began taking snow measurements in addition to temperature... rainfall and wind measurements began in November 1870. The following is a list of years when Nashville received snowfall on Christmas day (blue) or had snow on the ground Christmas day from a previous event (pink).

2010: 1.1 inches... 0.8 inches of snow fell on December 24th and another 1.1 inches fell on Christmas day.

2002: Trace.

1998: No snow fell on Christmas day but the ground and roads were covered with ice, sleet, and snow from 0.7 inch that fell on December 23rd and 24th.

1995: Trace... Very light flurries were observed off and on during the day.

1993: 0.3 inch... Dusting on the ground. This was the second consecutive Christmas with measurable snowfall.

1992: 0.3 inch... Parts of Nashville had a white Christmas. Joelton and Ridgetop received 1 to 2 inches of snow.

1989: 0.1 inch

1985: Trace

1983: Trace

1970: Trace

1969: 2.7 inches... A mix of rain and sleet began to fall on Christmas Eve. From about midnight Christmas morning until 3 am, a mix of rain and snow fell. Snow fell from 3 am Christmas morning until about noon...then the snow became mixed with with rain and continued during the afternoon before changing to snow and drizzle Christmas evening. The high temperature Christmas day was 35 and the low was 32 degrees. The snow had a high water content and with temperatures at or just above freezing it made for a slushy road surface.

1966: No snow fell on Christmas day but there were 3 inches of snow on the ground at 6 am Christmas morning from snow that fell on December 23rd. The amount of snow that fell on December 23rd was 4.3 inches.

1963: No snow fell on Christmas day but there was 6 inches of snow on the ground at 6 am Christmas morning. This snow was from December 22nd and 23rd. This is the most snow ever on the ground in Nashville on Christmas. 5.9 inches of snow fell on December 22nd; 1.5 inches fell on December 23rd; and a trace fell on December 24th. 

1962: No snow fell on Christmas day but there was 4 inches of snow on the ground at 6 am Christmas morning. 4.7 inches of snow fell on December 24th.

1956: Trace

1943: Trace

1935: Trace... 2.5 inches of snow fell on December 22nd. Some of this snow was still on the ground Christmas day.

1924: Trace

1918: Trace

1917: 0.1 inch

1915: Trace

1914: 0.2 inch

1913: Trace

1909: 0.2 inch

1899: 0.6 inch

1897: 1.0 inch

1892: Trace

1884: Trace

What are some other noteworthy weather Christmas presents?

The warmest Christmas on record was in 2016 when the high was 76 degrees. Second place was 1889 with a high of 73.

Another warm year was 1982 when the high was 72 and the low was 64 degrees. The coldest Christmas on record was one year later in 1983 when the high for Christmas day was 15 degrees and the low was a frigid -5 degrees.​

A tornado cut a million dollar damage path from Whispering Hills section of Nashville to near Una at 11:50 pm cst Christmas evening 1964.

- Nashville Christmas climate data was compiled by Bobby Boyd.(retired) and updated by Sam Herron