KNOXVILLE, Tenn — If East Tennessee sees a White Christmas in 2020, and the possibility is looking pretty good, we will definitely be beating the odds.
And in a year where so much has been awful, it seems like we've earned a little joy.
While the forecast could still change, at this point it looks like we could have rain changing to snow on Christmas Eve across East Tennessee. The chances are greater for accumulation in the higher elevations, but even Knoxville could see some snow on the ground.
It will be very cold, so chances are any snow that covers the ground would still be around on Christmas Day, with even a few lingering flurries in some areas.
History tells us this would be a pretty rare event. The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a White Christmas as an inch or more of snowfall.
The last time the Knoxville area saw a White Christmas was in 2010, according to the NWS in Morristown. That Christmas Day, NWS recorded 2.5 inches of snowfall in the city.
So it doesn't happen often. Records show just five White Christmases in over 121 years of records.
The most snowfall on Christmas Day in the Knoxville area came in 1969 with seven inches. Other White Christmases include 1887, 1915, 1976 and 2010.
On average, the chances for a White Christmas in Knoxville are three to four percent. It's a little higher on the Cumberland Plateau and in the mountains, about 10 percent, and those areas may have seen snow on Christmas more recently than Knoxville.
So stay tuned! We'll see if we beat the odds on Christmas this year and give us something good to remember about 2020!
Weather extremes for Christmas Day in Knoxville:
- Warmest Christmas was in 1982 with a high of 76 degrees
- Coldest Christmas was in 1983 with a high of 13 degrees and a low of -6
- Wettest Christmas was in 2015 when we had over 2 inches of rain at TYS
- Snowiest Christmas was in 1969 when 7 inches of snow fell in Knoxville