White Christmas in Philadelphia?
Historically, Philadelphia, PA has a 11% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, about 1 Christmas in 10 — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Phila Franklin Inst, 1 km from the city centre.
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 3% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 6%.
All US cities ranked Weather alerts now
From 15 December this page also links the National Weather Service forecast for Philadelphia.
Philadelphia against other cities
Philadelphia, PA ranks 35 of 93 US cities on our list.
| Staten Island, NY · 110 km | 14% |
|---|---|
| Newark, NJ · 121 km | 14% |
| Jersey City, NJ · 126 km | 14% |
| Brooklyn, NY · 129 km | 13% |
| New York City, NY · 130 km | 13% |
| Manhattan, NY · 137 km | 13% |
What this page shows, and what it misses
NOAA's smoothed share of Christmases from 1991 to 2020 with snow on the ground at Phila Franklin Inst (station USC00366886, 60 ft above sea level, 1 km from the centre of Philadelphia), based on 26 years with data.
It misses this year's weather and local differences: snow cover can change a lot over a few miles and a few hundred feet of height.
FAQQuestions people ask
Will Philadelphia, PA have a white Christmas?
Historically, Philadelphia, PA has a 11% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, about 1 Christmas in 10 — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Phila Franklin Inst, 1 km from the city centre. These are long-run odds, not a forecast: from about a week before, check the National Weather Service forecast for Philadelphia.
How much snow does Philadelphia, PA usually have on Christmas Day?
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 3% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 6%. The median snow depth on 25 December at this station is 2 inches.
How does Philadelphia, PA compare with other US cities?
Philadelphia, PA ranks 35 of 93 US cities on this list for the chance of 1 inch or more of snow on the ground on Christmas Day.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily normals; Palecki, M., Durre, I., Applequist, S., Arguez, A. & Lawrimore, J., 2021), public domain. Forecast links: National Weather Service (api.weather.gov), public domain. Station matching and ranking are Global Incident Tracker's own; NOAA does not endorse them.