Over the years we have had a wide variety of weather in New Orleans on Christmas Day! We've had Spring-like weather, severe weather, extreme cold and even one White Christmas.
Do you remember the Christmas of 1989? Just before Christmas on December 22-23, we had a record cold blast in the city. On the 22nd we had a record low of 15° with 1/2 inch of snow! On the 23rd, we had a record low of 11° - YES in New Orleans it got that cold! These temperatures caused local ponds and lakes to freeze.
Roads and bridges were iced over, so you couldn't travel anywhere! Pipes were bursting everywhere since high temperatures were not getting above freezing. The snow melted before Christmas, but it remained VERY cold with a high of 49°.
The coldest Christmas high temperature was back in 1983. We woke up to a morning low temperature of 14°! Then we only "warmed up to a high of 27° - now that feels like Christmas!
Last year we had a record high of 82°!! I was here for that, and it is so strange to wear shorts and t-shirts for Christmas. This year it looks like we will once again have some very mild temperatures and may come close to some record highs! As of this writing, we will have highs in the mid to upper 70s with mostly cloudy skies and some fog.
We've had some rain and stormy weather on Christmas, too. Our wettest Christmas was back in 1973 when over 4.00" of rain fell! A few years ago in 2012, we had a severe weather outbreak with a few tornadoes and wind damage as a squall line moved across the state. Obviously, this is not the kind of weather you want on Christmas.
New Orleans has officially had one true White Christmas! This happened back in 2004. An area of low pressure formed over the Western Gulf of Mexico and sent moisture over the Gulf Coast where temperatures were at or below freezing. This developed a band of snow that stretched from South Texas to New Orleans. Everyone woke up to 1/2" to 1" of snow across the city and some places had a little more outside of the city. I was here for that as well, and I still remember seeing all the snowmen photos. Other areas along the Gulf Coast had a White Christmas too from Corpus Christi to Houston and Lake Charles.
I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy the mild weather! -Dave
