BALTIMORE — The National Weather Service defines a "White Christmas" as having a snow depth of at least 1 inch at 7 AM on Christmas day. This includes measurable snowfall or a snow pack that already exists on the ground.
Snow falling on Christmas Day in the Baltimore area is very rare! It has been 22 years since snow fell on Christmas Day. The last time we had a White Christmas in Baltimore was 15 years ago in 2009, where six inches of snow was already on the ground from a major snowstorm. Since snowfall records in Baltimore began in 1893, there have only been 12 times where measurable snow fell on December 25th. However, there have been 24 Christmases that measurable snow either fell Christmas Day or was already on the ground from a previous system. This gives us about a 20% chance of having a White Christmas in Baltimore. Since the early 1950s, there were 58 years with no snow on the ground and no new snow recorded on Christmas Day in Baltimore.
Historical data of measurable snowfall that occurred in Baltimore on Christmas Day between 1991-2020 is used to determine the chance of a White Christmas. The black and white areas display a very low chance of seeing snow in Baltimore and across central Maryland on December 25th, based on the historical averages. In contrast, western Maryland has a greater chance (41-50%) of seeing measurable snow on Christmas Day.
If you were hoping for a White Christmas this year, you may be disappointed once again as Christmas day in Baltimore looks more wet than white. This year's Christmas Day forecast will feature rain showers and chilly temperatures in the 40s.
