Are the odds in favor of a white Christmas this year in Northern Ohio? That all depends on the what statistics you look at. History tells us that snowfall is common across the area on December 25. In fact, snowflakes have fallen on more than 70% of our Christmas Days since 1900. But not all of that snowfall has coated the ground. If you are looking for accumulating snows that covered the ground on Christmas Day, Mother Nature has been a little more stingy. Over the last 104 years, Cleveland weather records show snow cover of at least one inch on only about 36% of our Christmas Days. That means you can expect a white Christmas once every three years.
Heavy snow has been rare on December 25. The most snow to ever fall on your Yule Log was 10.2 inches just three years ago in 2002. For the second heaviest snowfall, you have to travel back to December 25th, 1944 when 5.8 inches fell in Cleveland.
The warmest Christmas occurred in 1982, when high temperatures topped out between 65 & 70 degrees F. One year later, Santa's Reindeer shivered when the thermometer dropped to -10 degrees F. That still stands as the coldest Christmas temperature ever!