NOUS41 KCTP 230344 PNSCTP PAZ012-041-042-045-046-049-051>053-231545- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1044 PM EST MON DEC 22 2008 ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... WITH CHRISTMAS JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY...THE QUESTION ALWAYS SEEMS TO ARISE AS TO WHETHER WE WILL HAVE THAT NOSTALGIC WHITE CHRISTMAS THAT SO MANY SEASONAL SONGS REMINISCE ABOUT. WELL IT SEEMS THAT IN WILLIAMSPORT...A WHITE CHRISTMAS IS THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE. OF THE 113 YEARS THAT RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN WILLIAMSPORT...JUST 44 OF THEM HAVE BEEN "WHITE". A WHITE CHRISTMAS IS DEFINED AS ONE WHERE THERE IS AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. SO THE RECORDS SHOW THAT ONLY IN ABOUT FOUR OUT OF TEN YEARS DO WE HAVE ENOUGH SNOW AROUND TO MAKE THE DAY QUALIFY. SO WHAT CAN WE USUALLY EXPECT ON A TYPICAL CHRISTMAS DAY? ON AVERAGE THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 36 DEGREES AND THE LOW 22. BUT OF COURSE THIS CAN VARY WIDELY AS WE SAW IN 1983 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS A BONE CHILLING 7 DEGREES. CHECK OUT HTTP://DOCS.LIB.NOAA.GOV/RESCUE/DWM/DATA_RESCUE_DAILY_WEATHER_MAPS.HTML TO GET A LOOK AT THE WEATHER MAP FOR THAT DAY AND SEE WHAT CAUSED THE ARCTIC CHILL. ON THE FLIP SIDE IT CAN ALSO BE DOWNRIGHT BALMY ON DECEMBER 25TH. BACK IN 1912 WE SAW THE WARMEST CHRISTMAS EVER WHEN IT HIT 58 DEGREES. IN 1964 IT TIED THAT RECORD REACHING 58 AGAIN. WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHANCES OF SNOW ON THAT DAY...ABOUT ONE YEAR IN FIVE SEES MEASURABLE SNOW ON CHRISTMAS. BUT THERE HAVE SOME VERY PICTURESQUE HOLIDAYS EVEN AS RECENTLY AS 2002 WHEN AN ALMOST CLASSIC NOR`EASTER MOVED UP AND DROPPED 7 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE CITY. THAT BY THE WAY SET THE DAILY RECORD FOR MOST SNOW ON DECEMBER 25TH IN WILLIAMSPORT. WHAT`S IN STORE FOR THIS YEAR? THE PROSPECTS OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS LOOK REASONABLE. AS OF THIS WRITING...THERE ARE 6 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. DESPITE THE COLD AIR OF RECENT DAYS...THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM LOOKS DESTINED TO SPREAD MAINLY RAIN OVER THE AREA CHRISTMAS EVE...BEFORE COOLER AND DRIER AIR RETURNS TO THE REGION CHRISTMAS DAY. SO WHILE THERE IS RAIN IN THE FORECAST...IT SEEMS LIKELY AT LEAST AN INCH OF THE CURRENT SNOW-PACK SHOULD SURVIVE TO MAKE IT THE FIRST WHITE CHRISTMAS SINCE 2002. SOME OF THE COLDEST...WARMEST AND SNOWIEST CHRISTMAS`S OF YEARS PAST INCLUDE: THE TOP 5 COLDEST: YEAR MAX T MIN T RAIN SNOW 1983 7 -3 T T 1980 11 -13 0 0 2000 19 12 T T 1969 21 -10 .21 2.5 1968 22 11 0 0 THE TOP 5 WARMEST: YEAR MAX T MIN T RAIN SNOW 1912 58 33 .11 1.5 1964 58 36 .22 0 1933 56 32 .45 0 1979 56 39 .78 0 1931 54 30 .15 0 THE TOP 5 SNOWIEST: YEAR MAX T MIN T RAIN SNOW 2002 32 29 .67 7 1904 24 12 .49 5 1909 33 25 .43 4 1903 44 36 .30 3.5 1969 21 -10 .21 2.5 WE HERE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE WISH YOU AND YOURS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! $$ LA CORTE