Here’s How Long It’s Been Since MD Had A White Christmas

MARYLAND — The last time Maryland had at least an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day was in 2009 when 6 inches of snow was recorded in the Baltimore metro, according to a report looking at the historical odds of a white Christmas.

Baltimore has had a white Christmas 15 times since 1905, according to the report earlier this month from The Weather Channel.

It’s still early for a more precise Christmas Day weather forecast, but in the days leading up to the holiday, the National Weather Service forecast rain could turn to snow Friday during the day and night, with a cold blast moving in to send overnight lows into the teens and 20s Saturday through Monday nights.

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The Weather Channel report is based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including data on the probability of a white Christmas. NOAA’s projection is based on three-decade averages in snow accumulation, temperatures and other climatological data. Historically, Maryland has a 10 percent chance of a white Christmas.

AccuWeather said in a Christmas forecast released Tuesday that more people will see a white Christmas this year than last, especially in the Rockies and Great Lakes states that have seen lake effect snow this season, but most won’t see the snow pile up.

Some areas of the interior Northeast and Appalachians have received snow over the past week, and it could still be on the ground Christmas Day if cold weather sticks around.

However, if you’re not in the mountains of Maryland, the probability of a white Christmas is low, according to Accuweather.

“The cold sticks with us at the start of Christmas week, but then it warms up as we head towards the middle of the week on Christmas,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said in the forecast discussion.

“A stormy pattern setting up over the Pacific Northwest will also deliver the gift of a white Christmas to the areas near the mountains that typically have snow on the ground for the holidays,” he said. “It's some of these lower spots, [such as] interior Washington, maybe not much [snow] there because temperatures are not really that cold,” Pastelok added.

On average, only about 38 percent of the Lower 48 states experience snow on the ground on Christmas Day, according to NOAA data. Last year, just 18 percent of these states had a white Christmas, marking the lowest percentage since record-keeping began in 2003. In contrast, in 2022, approximately 53 percent of the continental U.S. enjoyed a white Christmas, the highest percentage since 2009.