White Christmas History

| December 18, 2009 @ 9:59 pm | 19 Replies

There has never been a White Christmas in Alabama according to the traditional definition of 1 inch of snow on the ground during December 25th. With that possibility lurking in the forecast for this year, let’s look back at a little White Christmas history, Alabama style.

Here are some note from the National Weather Service:

HUNTSVILLE
Only one day with measurable snowfall: 12/25/1989 (0.3 inches)
Traces in 1909, 1969, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 2002

MUSCLE SHOALS
No measurable snowfall on record
Traces in 1897, 1906, 1913, 1948, 1980, 1983, 1992, 1993

BIRMINGHAM
…For Birmingham, where nearly 100 years of weather records exist, there has never been a White Christmas in the classic sense.
…Perhaps the closest resemblance to a White Christmas in Birmingham was December, 1985. Flurries falling on Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning lightly dusted some areas, but snow was not deep enough to measure.
…Eight other trace snowfall events occurring in 1961, 1963, 1966, 1980, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1995 were reported at the Birmingham International Airport on either December 24th or 25th.
…Weather records show that 5.5 inches of snow fell at the city office on December 22, 1929. On December 24th, there was still 2.5 inches of snow on the ground at 7 PM. However, most of the snow melted Christmas Day when the temperature climbed to 51 degrees.

MONTGOMERY
…For Montgomery, there has not been a White Christmas. The closest Montgomery has come to a White Christmas was in 1962 when a trace of snow was observed on December 24th. However, a near miss occurred in 1935 when 1.4 inches of snow fell on December 21-22.

TUSCALOOSA
…Tuscaloosa has only reported two trace snowfall events in 1962 and 1985 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

ANNISTON
…Anniston has reported a total of seven trace snowfall events in 1963, 1970, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1995 on either December 24th or 25th, but has never seen a true White Christmas.

MOBILE
No known White Christmases

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About the Author ()

Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian

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