CHRISTMAS DAY
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED ON CHRISTMAS DAY WAS 64 DEGREES IN 1982. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OCCURRED TWO YEARS EARLIER IN 1980 WHEN THE MERCURY DIPPED TO MINUS 10 DEGREES. NORMALLY, THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AVERAGES NEAR 34 DEGREES AND THE LOW ABOUT 22.
THE GREATEST PRECIPITATION EVER RECORDED ON CHRISTMAS DAY WAS 1.14 INCHES WHICH FELL AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW IN 1974. THE MOST SNOWFALL HOWEVER WAS THE 8.4 INCHES WHICH FELL ON CHRISTMAS IN 2002.
IT HAS SNOWED ON 89 OF THE PAST 127 CHRISTMAS DAYS...AND THE WHITEST CHRISTMAS WAS IN 2001 WHEN 19 INCHES OF SNOW WAS ON THE GROUND.
IN 1973 ON CHRISTMAS DAY HEAVY RAINS CAUSED LOCALIZED FLOODING IN PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEW YORK. RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT WAS 0.76 INCHES (1.22 INCHES 2-DAY TOTAL) AND MINOR STREET AND BASEMENT FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN CHEEKTOWAGA, TONAWANDA, AND AMHERST.
ON DECEMBER 24TH, 1978, THE GROUND WAS BARE AND BROWN OVER MOST OF THE BUFFALO AREA AND THERE WERE GOLFERS SPOTTED AT CAZENOVIA PARK. BY CHRISTMAS MORNING, SEVERAL INCHES OF HEAVY, WET SNOW HAD COATED EVERYTHING TO CREATE A STORYBOOK CHRISTMAS SETTING. UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH HEAVIER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EAST AND SOUTH OF BUFFALO PLAYED HAVOC WITH HOLIDAY TRAVELERS AND STRANDED MOTORISTS.
IN 1983...SNOW SQUALLS BEGAN OVER THE TOWNS SOUTH OF BUFFALO ON DECEMBER 23RD. PROPELLED BY A WEST WIND, THE SQUALLS SHIFTED NORTH TO CLARENCE, CHEEKTOWAGA, AND SOME PARTS OF BUFFALO, AND THEN SOUTH TO SOUTH BUFFALO, LACKAWANNA, AND HAMBURG. THE AIRPORT CLOSED INTERMITTENTLY ON THE 23RD AND 24TH AND THE THRUWAY WAS CLOSED FROM HAMBURG TO THE PENNSYLVANIA LINE STRANDING ABOUT SEVEN HUNDRED PERSONS. REPORTED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM 7 TO 15 INCHES.
IN 1993...FEARS OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS WERE ALLAYED WITH A VENGEANCE ON THE 24TH AS SNOW SQUALLS DROPPED A THEN RECORD 14.5 INCHES OF SNOW AT THE AIRPORT. HOLIDAY TRAVEL WAS DISRUPTED AS THE HEAVY SNOW INTERFERED WITH AIRLINE SCHEDULES.
CHRISTMAS DAY PERIOD OF RECORD: 138 YEARS (1873‑2011)
TEMPERATURE DATA
HIGHEST 64 DEGREES IN 1982
LOWEST ‑10 DEGREES IN 1980
LOWEST MAXIMUM 7 DEGREES IN 1983
HIGHEST MINIMUM 55 DEGREES IN 1982
WARMEST CHRISTMAS DAY 1982....HIGH 64 LOW 55 MEAN 60
COLDEST CHRISTMAS DAY 1980....HIGH 16 LOW ‑10 MEAN 3
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE 33.7 DEGREES
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE 22.6 DEGREES
HIGH TEMPERATURE BY 10 DEGREE RANGES
SINGLE
DIGITS TEENS 20S 30S 40S 50S 60S
1 11 36 54 26 9 1 ‑NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES
1% 8% 26% 39% 19% 7% 1%
PRECIPITATION DATA
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH 1.0 INCH SNOWFALL OR MORE 30
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH 1.0 INCH SNOWFALL OR LESS 63 SINCE 1884
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH NO SNOWFALL 36
SNOW DEPTH: GREATEST 18.0 INCHES IN 2001
(SINCE 1898)
OVER 12": 18 INCHES IN 1960;
15 INCHES IN 1993;
14 INCHES IN 1916;
13 INCHES IN 1924, 1944, 1983
OVER 1": 59 TIMES
LESS THAN 1": 48 TIMES
MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION: 0.94 INCH IN 1965 AND 1979
MAXIMUM SNOWFALL: 8.4 INCHES IN 2002
CHRISTMAS DAY
YEAR HI LOW SNOW FALL SNOW DEPTH CHARACTER
1873 36 30 FAIR
1874 28 22 FAIR
1875 51 34 RAIN AND THUNDERSHOWERS
1876 23 7 SNOW
1877 39 34 FOGGY
1878 24 16 SNOW
1879 31 10 SNOW
1880 29 24 SNOW
1881 42 34 FAIR
1882 35 33 CLOUDY
1883 44 32 FAIR
1884 17 11 0.4 SNOW
1885 24 19 0.1 SNOW
1886 29 11 0.2 SNOW
1887 26 20 0.0 SNOW
1888 48 40 0.0 CLOUDY
1889 54 41 0.0 RAIN
1890 17 11 TR RAIN
1891 49 37 0.0 CLOUDY
1892 20 6 3.0 SNOW
1893 54 40 0.0 RAIN
1894 34 25 TR SNOW FLURRIES
1895 56 46 0.0 RAIN
1896 28 19 TR SNOW
1897 37 9 TR SNOW
1898 29 23 TR TR SNOW
1899 25 17 0.2 TR SNOW
1900 37 24 0.9 0.5 SNOW
1901 34 32 3.5 4.0 SNOW
1902 29 16 4.0 3.5 SNOW
1903 35 17 0.4 TR SNOW
1904 25 10 0.5 1.0 SNOW
1905 30 24 3.0 3.0 SNOW
1906 23 11 0.4 3.6 SNOW
1907 39 30 0.2 0.6 SNOW
1908 38 32 0.0 TR RAIN
1909 29 24 1.4 5.5 SNOW
1910 23 13 0.1 2.2 SNOW
1911 42 35 0.0 0.0 PARTLY CLOUDY
1912 40 29 0.0 0.9 CLEAR
1913 33 30 TR 0.0 SNOW
1914 16 4 1.1 8.5 SNOW
CHRISTMAS DAY
YEAR HI LOW SNOW FALL SNOW DEPTH CHARACTER
1915 48 23 0.5 0.5 SNOW
1916 35 22 0.1 14.2 SNOW
1917 30 15 TR 2.0 SNOW
1918 41 24 TR TR SNOW
1919 23 7 TR 2.5 SNOW
1920 23 14 TR 0.1 SNOW
1921 19 12 0.2 2.0 SNOW
1922 48 35 0.0 1.0 CLOUDY
1923 37 32 0.5 1.5 SNOW
1924 17 5 1.0 13.2 SNOW
1925 30 16 5.0 7.0 SNOW
1926 33 26 TR 0.5 SNOW
1927 22 15 TR 7.0 SNOW
1928 40 33 0.0 2.5 CLOUDY
1929 31 24 0.2 0.2 SNOW
1930 39 33 0.0 3.2 RAIN
1931 43 20 0.5 0.4 RAIN AND SNOW
1932 55 40 0.0 0.0 RAIN
1933 24 15 0.1 0.2 SNOW
1934 32 25 0.5 0.4 SNOW
1935 20 15 0.5 1.7 SNOW
1936 48 38 0.0 0.1 RAIN
1937 35 28 0.1 3.5 SNOW AND RAIN
1938 33 26 TR 0.1 SNOW
1939 32 25 TR 1.2 SNOW
1940 58 43 0.0 0.0 CLEAR
1941 37 29 0.0 0.0 CLOUDY
1942 35 25 0.0 2.5 CLOUDY
1943 35 21 0.0 0.0 CLEAR
1944 34 21 6.0 13.0 SNOW
1945 40 29 0.0 9.0 FREEZING RAIN
1946 33 20 TR 0.4 SNOW
1947 40 14 0.0 TR CLEAR
1948 22 6 0.1 TR CLOUDY
1949 41 18 0.0 TR CLOUDY
1950 21 11 0.2 3.0 FLURRIES
1951 35 15 5.7 8.0 SNOW
1952 38 31 TR TR SNOW
1953 36 30 TR TR MORNING FLURRIES
1954 31 20 TR 2.0 MORNING FLURRIES
CHRISTMAS DAY
YEAR HI LOW SNOW FALL SNOW DEPTH CHARACTER
1955 42 26 TR 0.0 EVENING FLURRIES
1956 35 25 1.2 TR CLOUDY, MORNING SNOW FLURRIES
1957 43 22 0.0 0.0
1958 16 8 0.2 1.0 CHANGEABLE SKIES
1959 40 28 0.0 1.0 CLOUDY, MILD
1960 34 24 0.2 18.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY
1961 31 21 0.1 TR CLOUDY
1962 34 11 0.1 9.0 PARTLY CLOUDY
1963 35 30 TR 9.0 FLURRIES, WINDY
1964 59 39 0.0 0.0 RECORD WARMTH
1965 53 24 1.8 1.0 CLOUDY
1966 23 16 1.2 2.0 WINTRY
1967 37 25 1.1 3.0 PARTLY CLOUDY
1968 12 6 0.4 1.0 COLD
1969 22 ‑2 TR 3.0 COLD
1970 27 23 0.2 3.0 CLOUDY
1971 38 18 0.0 0.0 CLOUDY
1972 38 34 0.0 TR CLOUDY
1973 46 18 TR 3.0 RAIN
1974 35 27 1.5 1.0 PARTLY CLOUDY
1975 30 18 1.1 9.0 LIGHT SNOW ALL DAY
1976 36 24 TR 10.0 PARTLY CLOUDY
1977 44 12 1.5 1.0 LIGHT SNOW IN THE MORNING
1978 33 20 5.2 5.0 MORNING SNOW
1979 48 32 0.4 TR RAIN AND SNOW
1980 16 ‑10 1.5 4.0 PARTLY SUNNY, COLD
1981 33 25 0.0 TR PARTLY SUNNY
1982 64 55 0.0 0.0 LIGHT RAIN LATE A.M. AND P.M.1983 7 0 0.8 13.0 WINDY, LIGHT SNOW, SNOW SQUALLS SOUTH
1984 29 13 TR TR P.M. SUNSHINE, EVENING FLURRIES
1985 16 9 0.3 9.0 SOME EARLY MORNING SNOW, AFTERNOON SUNSHINE
1986 39 33 0.0 0.0 LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
1987 51 37 0.0 0.0 MORNING SHOWERS OTHERWISE CLOUDY
1988 37 25 0.1 TR CLOUDY, SHOWERS CHANGING TO FLURRIES
1989 21 15 0.4 6.0 CLOUDY, WINDY, LIGHT SNOW ALL DAY
1990. 27 12 1.5 2.0 MORNING SNOW, AFTERNOON SUNSHINE
1991 33 16 0.1 1.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH MORNING SNOW
CHRISTMAS DAY
YEAR HI LOW SNOW FALL SNOW DEPTH CHARACTER
1992 36 18 0.1 TR WINDY, AFTERNOON SNOW SHOWERS
1993 23 13 2.1 15.0 LIGHT SNOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY
1994 45 26 0.0 0.0 MOSTLY SUNNY
1995 28 22 6.2 12.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY, SNOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY
1996 24 16 3.8 4.0 SQUALLS MEANDERING ACROSS THE AREA
1997 44 34 0.0 0.0 CLOUDY, RAIN SHOWERS
1998 26 17 7.1 8.0 CLOUDY, RECORD SNOWFALL
1999 27 12 1.2 2.0 CLOUDY AFTERNOON SNOW, BECOMING WINDY
2000 16 2 0.4 7.0 PARLTLY CLOUDY, LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS
2001 27 22 4.9 18.0 SNOW SHOWERS
2002 30 25 8.4 7.0 SNOW THROUGH OUT THE DAY
2003 34 27 8.2 7.0 NEAR RECORD SNOWFALL
2004 16 3 0.0 6.0 PARTLY SUNNY, COLD
2005 41 36 0.0 1.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY
2006 50 32 0.0 0.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY
2007 33 26 0.0 1.0 MOSTLY CLOUDY
2008 36 26 T 1 LIGHT SNOW
2009 44 25 0.0 T HEAVY RAIN
2010 26 22 0.0 T SNOW
2011 45 33 0.3 4 SNOW