Breakdown: Christmas Weather History - Why anything can happen here in the Mid-South

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Take a look - here’s the weather that’s happened on Christmas Day in Memphis for the past 147 years...

Records that go back to 1889 show that Memphis had a measurable amount of snow on Christmas only once in 133 years. That was in 1913 when 3.5 inches of snow fell on Christmas Day.

Trace amounts (only a few flakes - not enough to measure) fell on 11 occasions - 1914, 1918, 1926, 1939, 1948, 1975, 1980, 1992, 2009, 2010, and 2012.

There have been a few times when there was snow on the ground Christmas morning from previous storms. The greatest was in 1963 when 10 inches covered the city Christmas morning; 1962 and 2004 had 2 inches on the ground, 1998 had 1 inch on the ground, and a trace of snow on Christmas morning in 1897,1966, 1980, and 1990.

The warmest temperature for Christmas Day was 77 degrees in 2021; 1983 had the coldest Christmas at zero degrees.

While a Memphis snow is rare on Christmas Day, rain has fallen several times. Christmas was rainy 50 times in the last 147 years; sleet (or freezing rain) happened three times.

The wettest Christmas Day came in 1987 when 4.24 inches of rain soaked Memphis.

This year will be dry and chilly with highs in the upper 20s to near 32 degrees.

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