White Christmas in Washington?
Historically, Washington, DC has a 4% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, rarely — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Washington Reagan AP, 5 km from the city centre.
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 1% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 5%.
All US cities ranked Weather alerts now
From 15 December this page also links the National Weather Service forecast for Washington.
Washington against other cities
Washington, DC ranks 43 of 93 US cities on our list.
| Baltimore, MD · 57 km | 7% |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA · 199 km | 11% |
| Pittsburgh, PA · 306 km | 31% |
| Staten Island, NY · 309 km | 14% |
| Newark, NJ · 319 km | 14% |
| Jersey City, NJ · 325 km | 14% |
What this page shows, and what it misses
NOAA's smoothed share of Christmases from 1991 to 2020 with snow on the ground at Washington Reagan AP (station USW00013743, 10 ft above sea level, 5 km from the centre of Washington), based on 29 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 Washington, DC have a white Christmas?
Historically, Washington, DC has a 4% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, rarely — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Washington Reagan AP, 5 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 Washington.
How much snow does Washington, DC usually have on Christmas Day?
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 1% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 5%.
How does Washington, DC compare with other US cities?
Washington, DC ranks 43 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.