For many in Metro Detroit, a snowy backdrop on Christmas morning is part of the holiday tradition. But historical climate records suggest that this scene is more the exception than the rule.
A White Christmas is officially defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground at daybreak on Christmas morning. Snow must already be on the ground. That means if an inch falls and accumulates later in the day, it does not count toward the White Christmas tally.
Based on 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, Metro Detroit has a 34.7 percent chance of meeting that threshold on any given Christmas. Over the last 70 Christmases, the region has recorded a White Christmas only 31 times — fewer than half.
The last official White Christmas at Detroit Metro Airport came in 2022, when a snow depth of three inches was measured Christmas morning.
Climatologically, Christmas Day in Detroit brings seasonably cold conditions. The average high temperature is 33 degrees, and the average low is around 22 degrees.
Warm Christmases are relatively rare. Since Detroit’s recordkeeping began in 1874, temperatures have reached 40 degrees or warmer on Christmas only 33 times. The record high, 64 degrees, was set in 1982. The following year delivered the opposite extreme, when low temperatures plunged to 4 degrees, the coldest Christmas morning on record.
While many hope for measurable snow on Christmas, the odds remain against Metro Detroit this year. The holiday will likely add another tally to the snowless count.