Five Weirdest White Christmases

Bing Crosby dreamt of a "White Christmas". We sing about walking in a "Winter Wonderland". If we have no place to go..."Let it Snow!"

We asked our Facebook fans (become a fan) about the strangest weather they've seen on Christmas. This post may have taken the cake.

If you live in New England, the Upper Midwest, Rockies or Cascades, you may take a white Christmas for granted.

(MORE: Typical White Christmas Chances)

Which white Christmases in recent history take the cake for being, uh, eccentric...weird....unusual?

First, let's explain what a "weird White Christmas" is.

A two-inch snow cover in New York or Chicago...beautiful...but not unusual. We're looking for those places where any snow is considered rare, much less in time for the Christmas holiday. In short, think "South".

We're looking for a White Christmas that may, in some places, be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Unusual snow too far South is not something from a bygone era. All of our top 5 events have occurred since the late 1980s.

So, let's begin by visiting...of all places...a desert. Click the "Next" button above to begin our countdown.

#5: Tucson, Arizona (1987)

What words come to mind when hearing the word "desert?" Hot...dry...dusty? I'll bet "cold" or "snow" aren't two of them.

Snow in the Desert Southwest's higher elevations is common most winter seasons. This includes Flagstaff, (elevation 6910'), Prescott (5354') and the various mountains of northern and eastern Arizona.

However, snow on the valley floor is more rare.

Snow had fallen only three other times on Christmas Day since 1894 in Tucson before 2.6" of snow fell on Christmas Day 1987. That said, Tucson did have 2" on the ground on Christmas Eve 1941.

In fact, there had been only 10 calendar days on record since 1894 with 1" of snow on the ground, there. The odds of this happening on Christmas Day in Arizona's second largest city rivals a lottery ticket.

Incidentally...Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, at around 9000' elevation, offers skiing within about a 30 minute drive of Downtown Tucson. So, if you're longing for a White Christmas in southern Arizona, you could simply drive up!

Check ski conditions: Arizona

Believe it or not, not all northern locales have frequent White Christmases.

#4: Pacific Northwest (2008)

TWC Facebook fan Steve Shivers had a, shall we say, eventful Christmas in 1964.

Wow! Back to weird white Christmases...did you know some locations farther north than Minneapolis/St. Paul rarely see snow?

Such is the case in Seattle (5.9" average yearly snow) and Portland, Ore. (2.4" average yearly snow). But how can that be?

The typical Pacific storm pumps in relatively warm, moist air into western Washington and western Oregon, bringing a chilly rain to the Puget Sound and Willamette Valley, and heavy snow to the Cascades.

Sometimes, however, deep Arctic cold air spills southward from British Columbia and squeezes through various river valleys cutting through the Cascades, such as the Fraser and Columbia River Valleys. Then, when a Pacific storm moves ashore, cold air is locked in place, leading to snow, or in some cases, freezing rain.

Such was the case in late December 2008. The heaviest snowstorm since January 1980 kept snow on the ground in Portland for 7 straight days from Dec. 21-27. By Christmas Day, 10-11" was still on the ground, a record Christmas snow depth in Oregon's largest city. Another dusting of snow fell on Christmas Day, to "pile on", as it were

Historically, Portland, Ore. only has a 1-4% chance of a White Christmas in any given year. In any given year, only 1-2 days have at least 1" of snow on the ground, there.

Not to be left out was Portland's northern neighbor, Seattle.

The final outcome of a prolonged Northwest cold snap was a 4" snow cover on Christmas morning, a record snow depth for the holiday.

In fact, at least 1" of snow remained on the ground in Seattle for a two-week stretch from Dec. 14-27, 2008. Typically that only occurs 4 days each year! At least a trace of snow fell in 12 of 14 days from Dec. 13-26, 2008. No, this wasn't Michigan, or New England...this was Seattle!

Before coming to The Weather Channel, Meteorologist Chris Warren (On Facebook | On Twitter) experienced this incredible snow event in Seattle firsthand.

"Just seeing one snowflake in the Seattle area is a big deal, but to see that much AND on Christmas is unreal. You don’t have to worry about shoveling snow very often in Seattle, so when you shovel snow on Christmas it’s a blast," says the Kirkland, Wash. native.

Despite the romanticism of a rare White Christmas here, this prolonged stretch was very disruptive, particularly the weekend before Christmas 2008. Both Seattle and Portland are hilly, and given the relative lack of snow-removal equipment for an area that doesn't get much snow, travel was slowed to a crawl.

Stretches of Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass and Interstate 84 east of Portland were shut down. Chains were required on all vehicles in the Portland metro. Some cars were abandoned in snow drifts. Surface streets in Seattle remained snowpacked, rutted, and slushy, leaving some helpless drivers skidding downhill into other cars.

Flights were cancelled and passengers stranded at both Portland Int'l Airport and Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Airport.

Now let's jump to the other side of the country for a radical snow event...in the Sunshine State!

#3: Florida/Southeast (1989)

"Snowbirds" are a crucial component in Florida tourism.

No, these aren't of interest to bird watchers. These winter-weary folks from northern climates flock to the Sunshine State to either get away from or at least dull the sting of Ol' Man Winter.

Sometimes, that doesn't work out as planned, though.

In December 1989, Arctic air plunged into northern Florida, changing rain to a wet snow in both Tallahassee and Jacksonville on Dec. 22 and 23.

In Jacksonville, 1" of snow covered the ground on Christmas Eve. Dating to 1921, this is the only time 1" or more snow depth has been measured there. What's more...over the past 100 years, there have been only 3 days of measurable snow in Jacksonville.

To be fair...this technically did not qualify for a White Christmas (1" on the ground on Christmas Day morning). But how can we nitpick a day or two when it's Florida, right?

This story gets better. The icing on the cake was flurries falling on Christmas Day in Tallahassee, the only Christmas Day that's occurred there.

And it wasn't just Florida! Charleston, S.C. picked up an incredible 8" of snow from Dec. 22-24. Four inches remained on the ground Christmas morning in "Chucktown", the only white Christmas dating to 1938.

Just down the road, Savannah, Ga. measured 3.6" of snow, 2" of which remained on the ground Christmas morning, the only white Christmas in weather records dating to 1949. At least 1" of snow remained on the ground for 4 straight days from Dec. 23-26. Imagine 4 days to build a snowman...on the Georgia Coast...over Christmas!

The cold wave set records across the Southeast.

Miami shivered through their record coldest Christmas morning, with a low of 30 degrees. This followed their coldest Christmas Eve high, a mere 45 degrees, cold that would frustrate even the hardiest "snowbird".

#2: Blizzard...Southern Style (2009)

Plains blizzards are simply a fact of life, so much so that a part of the Plains actually has a "Blizzard Alley".

What made the Plains Christmas 2009 blizzard so unusual, however, was the ferocity of it so far south!

A photo like the one below may be something you see in the Dakotas, northern New England, or the mountains of the West...but Oklahoma?

Christmas Eve 2009 was Oklahoma City's snowstorm of record! An incredible 14.1" of snow, accompanied by wind gusts over 60 mph, brought the city to a standstill. Keep in mind, average annual snow in Okla. City is 8-9".

Will Rogers Airport was shut down Christmas Eve, stranding a couple hundred passengers and workers. By the time the airport reopened Christmas Day, only 1 of 3 runways was cleared.

A state of emergency was declared in Oklahoma. Stretches of Interstates 44, 40, and 35 were closed. Cars were abandoned in heavy snow on Oklahoma City freeways. Drifts of 3-4 feet were observed in Kiowa County, Okla.

But that wasn't the storm's southern extent!

As you can see in the satellite image below, accumulating snow fell in time to give a white Christmas deep into Texas.

With 2" on the ground, it was the first official white Christmas in Dallas since 1926! The only other confirmed white Christmases there: 1879 and 1841!

While blizzard warnings issued by the National Weather Service have become more frequent, the Christmas 2009 blizzard was the first time such a warning was issued as far south as Interstate 20 in Texas! At one time Christmas Eve, an almost continuous 1200-mile long swath of the Plains was in a blizzard warning, from Texas to Canada.

Up to 9" of snow and wind gusts to 65 mph whipped difts up to 5 feet...in Texas! Interstate 20 was closed much of Christmas Eve between Abilene and Cisco, Texas, due to numerous jackknifed tractor trailers. Motorists were stranded on U.S. 287 in Montague County, Texas, north of Ft. Worth, due to deep snow.

This storm also punched hard on "Blizzard Alley", namely, the central and northern Plains.

Interstate 29 was shut down, at one time, from the Iowa/South Dakota border to Canada. Numerous other roads were shut down. Drifts up to 10 feet were reported in Minot, N.D.

It was unusual even for some northern locations. It was the snowiest Christmas on record in Grand Island (7.8") and Hastings (9.2"), Neb. The three-day snow total in Sioux Falls, S.D. (20.7") was the second heaviest snowstorm on record.

Shouldn't this storm "take the prize"? Well, we have to travel 200-300 miles south, to the Gulf Coast, for our weirdest white Christmas.

#1: South Texas...Snow Kidding! (2004)

The photo above looks like any National Weather Service office in, say, Minnesota, or Upstate New York, except for the palm trees.

If South Texas was your idea of a "winter getaway" for Christmas 2004, you weren't just disappointed, but stunned.

What the satellite loop at left shows is an upper-level swirl in the atmosphere swinging over South Texas on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2004. No big deal, right? Typically when this happens in winter, it's a chilly rain for the Gulf Coast.

In this case, however, arctic air was plunging through the Lone Star State, changing any initial rain to snow, just in time for Christmas.

Suffice to say, records were blown away:

• Victoria, TX: Greatest 24-hour snow (12.5 inches); first known white Christmas
• Corpus Christi, Texas: Heaviest snowstorm on record (4.4 inches)
• Brownsville, Texas: Only day with measurable snow dating to February 1895

Brownsville, Texas, roughly the same latitude as Miami, picked up measurable snow on Christmas Day 2004.

According to the National Weather Service, this was the first white Christmas ever recorded in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The satellite image, once skies cleared, of this South Texas Christmas snowpack remains the most bizarre weather image of my meteorological career.

In Corpus Christi, this event was the first measurable snow there since February 1973. The only other previous Christmas with snow there was in 1918, and that was only 0.1 inch, not quite meeting the 1 inch snow depth criteria for a true white Christmas.

Parts of the Houston metro weren't left out either. Generally 1-3 inches of snow fell across the southern suburbs, south of Interstate 10, including Pearland and Friendswood. Four inches of snow blanketed Galveston Island and Jamaica Beach. (I couldn't resist throwing in "Jamaica Beach" and "snow" in the same sentence.)

Put simply, this was considered the most significant snow for Deep South Texas and the Coastal Bend since February 1895.

Imagine the sheer wonder of kids who had never seen snow before experiencing this, on Christmas, no less!

(MORE: 10 Shocking Snow Cities)

What is the strangest Christmas weather you've seen? Leave a comment with your story below or share your story with us on Facebook.

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