Call me Bing Crosby. Yes, I am dreaming of a white Christmas — just like the ones I used to know. I dream about this every year, but my dream rarely comes true. It doesn’t look likely again this year, at least not in Guthrie County. Partly sunny. High of 40. Low of 31. No snow. That’s our current forecast for Dec. 25. The days before and after it look much the same. The forecast might change, but probably not much.
I told my wife it won’t seem like Christmas without snow. She replied that we rarely have a white Christmas in central Iowa. I didn’t believe her, at least not until I looked up Christmas Day climatology from the National Weather Service. Here is what I learned, and, yes, Jolene was correct.
The most snow on Christmas Day since 1935 for the area:
- 2009 6.0 inches
- 1962 2.5 inches
- 1945 1.5 inches
- 2010 1.0 inches
- 1996 1.0 inches
- 1984 1.0 inches
- 1935 0.5 inches
- 1970 0.3 inches
- 1978 trace
- 1971 trace
You might remember at least one of those snowy Christmas Days, especially 2009 when winter weather made travel dicey. But what about the years with the most snow on the ground?
The deepest snow cover on Christmas Day since 1935 for the area:
- 2000 17 inches
- 1961 15 inches
- 2012 10 inches
- 1945 10 inches
- 1951 9 inches
- 2008 8 inches
- 2010 6 inches
- 1948 4 inches
- 1944 4 inches
- 2013 3 inches
- 1962 3 inches
- 1952 3 inches
I vividly remember the snow in 2000 and the drifts we had over our fence in the back yard. I bundled up our then-toddler daughter Sara for some sledding. We had a great time in the snow and an even better time warming up with hot chocolate.
We may not have a snowy Christmas this year, but we can still dream about — and share memories of — white Christmases from years past.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@gctimesnews.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305