Extreme local and world Christmas weather

We’ve had some crazy weather in the region last week. On Dec. 17, very strong winds, some having Category 1 hurricane strength, battered many parts of North Idaho. A wind gust of 75 miles per hour was reported at the Spokane International Airport at 5:27 a.m. on that day. Cliff Harris reported a gust of 69 miles per hour in Coeur d’Alene with a 66-mile-per-hour gust at the Coeur d’Alene Airport. Pullman had a gust of 81 miles per hour while Lewiston reported one at 84 miles per hour. There were widespread power outages and downed trees.

The last time we had historic winds in the region was Nov. 16, 2015. On that day, winds were gusting to 60 miles per hour at Cliff’s station in Coeur d’Alene. The highest wind gust at the Coeur d’Alene Airport was 58 miles per hour.  The strongest wind gust from that storm occurred in Eastern Washington at the Mission Ridge Ski Area in Chelan County, with an incredible gust of 137 miles per hour.

In addition to the very strong winds, temperatures last week averaged in the 50s across the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene region, with a record high of 60 degrees reported Dec. 15. However, the weather pattern did turn colder with rain and snow across the region late last week.

The weather pattern this week has more rain and snow, so there is a chance we could have a White Christmas. The last time we had a White Christmas in Coeur d’Alene was in 2022, with over 16 inches of snow on the ground. It’s going to be close for 2025.

Looking back at the climatological records for Coeur d’Alene, the coldest Christmas Day occurred way back in 1924 with a low of -4 degrees. By contrast, the warmest Dec. 25 was in 1980 with a mild 54 degrees. That day in 1980 was also the wettest as 0.79 inches of rain fell. The most snow to ever fall on Christmas Day was in 1923 with 4.8 inches. December 2008 was a wild month when a record 87.4 inches fell in Coeur d’Alene. During that month, there were 3.6 inches from a storm Dec. 25.

In 2016, there was over 13 inches of snow on the ground Dec. 25. We had a lot of snow in December of 2015, as Climatologist Cliff Harris reported over 21 inches on the ground on Christmas Day. However, during the big snowy season of 2007-08, there was a record 44 inches of snow on the ground Dec. 25, 2007.

Across the U.S., many areas have seen a wide variety of weather on Christmas Day. Some of the coldest weather has been reported in the north-central and northeastern portions of the country, as high temperatures have occasionally stayed below zero.  According to data from the National Weather Service, the coldest Christmas Days across the northern U.S. occurred in the 1800s. For example, it was -35 degrees in Bismarck, N.D., on Dec. 25. Amazingly, Minneapolis was even colder with a low of -39 degrees in 1879. In 1983 and 2022, temperatures dropped to -20 to -25 degrees in parts of Montana and Minnesota around Dec. 25.

Of course, some of the coldest readings on Christmas Day in North America are in Alaska. In 1961, it was brutally cold as Fairbanks reported a low of -56 degrees. The high temperature for the day was -50 degrees. Anchorage, Alaska, dropped down to -25 degrees on that date.

One of the worst winter storms to hit the U.S. in late December was the one that occurred from Dec. 21 to 26, 2022, in much of the central and eastern portions of the United States and Canada. Buffalo, N.Y., picked up a whopping 56 inches of lake-effect snow over the five-day period as the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was shut down for five days. It was also cold enough for officials to issue wind chill alerts for 110 million people across the northern regions of the country as readings were below -40 degrees. The event was described as a “once-in-a-generation storm."

Tornadoes are not very common in December, but Dec. 25, 2012, a massive storm produced a tornado outbreak and a blizzard across the southern and eastern portions of the country on Christmas Day. There was a total of 31 twisters that were confirmed from Texas to North Carolina.

When we think of places that receive a White Christmas, they are usually the northern portions of the country. But in 2004, 4.4 inches of snow fell in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1988, Las Vegas reported snow on the ground for the first time in history. Even in warm Arizona, the residents in Tucson were surprised to see up to 4 inches of new snow on Christmas Day in 1987.

In terms of our weather after Christmas, the long-range computer models are showing milder conditions over the center of the country with cold temperatures in the western portions of the country. It looks like we should see more snow into the New Year in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding regions. However, don’t be surprised to see some rain mixing in at times as warmer air briefly moves into the area.

Merry Christmas! Randy Mann and Cliff Harris.

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Contact Randy Mann at [email protected].