Overview

The Christmas Day web page that showed data for Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls has been updated with more data for several more locations in the NWS Norman forecast area. Christmas Day data is now available for the Enid, Hobart, Lawton, and Stillwater areas. Temperature, precipitation, snowfall and snow depth data can be accessed for these sites through the tabs at above.

In addition, there is also "Significant Events" tab that contains brief summaries of significant weather events that occurred on or during Christmas Day for specific years.

Chance of a White Christmas

A White Christmas refers to observing at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at a particular location on December 25th, Christmas Day. The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has produced new White Christmas information and probability data for thousands of locations in the U.S. based on the latest (1991-2020) U.S. Climate Normals. Links to an interactive map and other information can be found through the links below.

• Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? (climate.gov)


• Interactive Version of the Historical Probability of a White Christmas Map (NCEI)

Significant Christmas Day Weather Events

1914: A winter storm moved through the Southern Plains on December 24-25, and deposited snowfall totals of mainly 3 to 9 inches across southwestern into central Oklahoma and western north Texas. In Roger Mills County in west central Oklahoma, the COOP station at Rankin record 12.0 inches of snowfall! Oklahoma City reported 9.0 inches of snow during the event, while Lawton had 3.0 inches and Stillwater tallied 4.0 inches. Both Wichita Falls and Enid did not report any snow during the event, although Wichita Falls recorded 1.25 inches of rainfall.

1922: On this date in 1922, the temperature in Oklahoma City warmed to 73 degrees, resulting in the warmest Christmas on record. This record was tied on Christmas Day in 2016 for Oklahoma City. Enid reached a high of 73 degrees, while Lawton and Stillwater had highs of 75 degrees. Wichita Falls did not begin documenting temperature records until 1923.

1939: A winter storm moved through the Southern Plains on December 24-26, and dropped heavy snow on parts of western north Texas and central/western Oklahoma. Most snowfall totals ranged from to 3 to 8 inches, but 11.8 inches of snow fell at Enid, OK. Temperatures remained around above freezing in some areas, so a lot of snow melted after it reached the ground.

1955: In Oklahoma City, the high of 54 was above average, but was a 32-degree drop-off from the previous day. A high of 86 on Christmas Eve was 38 degrees above the long-term average, and still stands as the all-time record high temperature for December for OKC. In Wichita Falls, the high of 57 was above average by about 5 or 6 degrees, but it was a 30-degree drop-off from the previous day. A high of 87 on Christmas Eve was around 35 degrees above the long-term average, and is tied for the 2nd warmest daily temperature for December.

1975: Rain changed to snow on Christmas Eve, with heavy snow falling that afternoon and continuing into early Christmas morning. Nearly 3 inches fell during the storm, but temperatures hovered just above freezing, and much of the snow melted when it reached the ground.

1983: Bitter cold with wind chills as low as 27 below occurred during the pre-dawn hours of Christmas Day. The high of 13 was an improvement over the previous day, as the high on Christmas Eve was 3 above zero. The low was zero, and wind chills dropped as low as minus 45 as north winds gusted to 38 mph.

1987: Freezing rain and sleet began before sunrise on December 25th, and was the start of an infamous 2-day ice storm that left parts of Oklahoma without power for over a week. Sleet prevailed across the western and northern parts of Oklahoma City, while freezing rain devastated southern and eastern parts of the metro area. Despite heavy sleet and ice accumulations of up to 2 inches, total snowfall was only a trace.

1989: Christmas Day was a sunny, mild day with temperatures in the 50s. But what made this Christmas memorable was the dramatic warm-up that was in progress. Three days earlier the temperature fell to minus 4, a new all-time record low for December. Winds of 20 mph at the time dropped wind chills to near 50 below. The next night, the December low temperature record was broken again when the temperature fell to minus 8. Two days later on Christmas Day, the temperature reached 57, giving Oklahoma City a 65-degree warm-up in two days.

2000: A major winter storm affected much of Oklahoma on December 25-26, with impacts similar to the storm in 1987. The storm began on Christmas Day across the region, with significant accumulations of snow and ice occurring Christmas night and into December 26. Heavy snow, accumulating 8 to 12 inches, fell across northwest Oklahoma. Meanwhile, a combination of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell across west-central, central and north-central Oklahoma, with accumulations ranging from 2 to as much as 8 inches. One of the worst ice storms to ever affect the state of Oklahoma occurred in south-central and southeast Oklahoma, where ice and sleet accumulations from 1 to 2 inches were common. Statewide, around 170,000 residents were without electricity right after the storm, and power was not restored in some locations until almost 2 weeks later.

2009: Although no snow technically fell on Christmas Day, the record-setting blizzard that affected a large part of Oklahoma and western north Texas on Christmas Eve dominated the newscasts. Snow accumulated between 5 and 7 inches from southwest into central Oklahoma, with several locations reporting over 10 inches. In western north Texas, snow accumulated between 5 and 7 inches over a large area, with some locations in Wichita and Clay counties reporting 7-10 inches. The snowstorm was made worse by the near continuous winds that were sustained near 40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph. All major highways were shut down by early afternoon, stranding thousands of holiday travelers and last-minute Christmas shoppers. The snow finally moved east during the early evening hours, leaving behind snow drifts as high as five feet, and streets littered with abandoned cars.

2012: A strong, upper-level storm system moved into Oklahoma and western north Texas from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. Much of southern and western Oklahoma and western north Texas received considerable snowfall, while northern and central Oklahoma saw measurable snows. A brief period of blizzard conditions also occurred over southwest Oklahoma, where over 6 inches of snow fell in some areas. The strong, gusty north winds created blowing and drifting of snow, which made snowfall measurements difficult.

Oklahoma City Christmas Day Weather Facts

Wichita Falls Christmas Day Weather Facts

Enid Christmas Day Weather Facts

Hobart Christmas Day Weather Facts

Lawton Christmas Day Weather Facts

Stillwater Christmas Day Weather Facts

Christmas Day Weather Facts for Other Locations

Record Christmas Day Temperature Data for Selected Locations

Christmas Day Weather Facts for Other Locations

Record Christmas Day Precipitation totals, Snowfall Totals, and Snow Depths for Selected Locations