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White Christmas Odds in Texas, City by City

Has it ever snowed on Christmas in Texas? Odds for Amarillo, Lubbock, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston and more, plus the famous 2004 Gulf Coast Christmas, from NOAA records.

Weather & SeasonsUSUpdated 7 November 2026
What counts as white?

At least 1 inch of snow on the ground at the morning reading on December 25 (NOAA’s definition). Snow that fell earlier still counts; snow that starts later on Christmas Day doesn’t.

Period

Christmases 1991 to 2020.

White Christmas

Historical chance
4%
1 of 23 Christmas mornings
about every 23 years
Last white Christmas
2009
For comparison, 1961–1990
0%

Year by year

  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 00
  • 01
  • 02
  • 03
  • 04
  • 05
  • 06
  • 07
  • 08
  • 09
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20

white green no data

Some years have no snow-depth reading. Only the 23 winters with complete data are counted.

These odds come from past records, not a forecast for Christmas 2026: check weather.gov in the week before Christmas. Data: NOAA NCEI, Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily; odds calculated by SoSoUseful, not endorsed by NOAA.

Compare all places

Same rule and period, sorted by chance.

  1. Pampa14%4/28
  2. Amarillo13%4/30
  3. Lubbock10%3/30
  4. Corpus Christi5%1/22*
  5. Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW Airport)4%1/23*
  6. Midland–Odessa3%1/29
  7. Wichita Falls3%1/29
  8. Abilene0%0/28
  9. Austin (Camp Mabry)0%0/30
  10. Dallas (Love Field)0%0/23*
  11. Houston (Bush Intercontinental)0%0/30
  12. San Angelo0%0/28
  13. San Antonio0%0/26
  14. Waco0%0/22*

* patchy record: readings are missing for more than one winter in six, and snowy years may be among them, so treat this figure with caution.

Has it ever snowed on Christmas in Texas?

Yes, though rarely, and mostly in the Panhandle. From 1991 to 2020, there was at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning in Amarillo at 4 of 30 Christmases (13%) and in Lubbock at 3 (10%). Dallas–Fort Worth had one, in 2009. Houston, Austin and San Antonio didn't have a single white Christmas morning in that time.

The tool above gives the odds for 14 NOAA weather stations around Texas.

The 2004 Gulf Coast white Christmas

The most famous Texas Christmas snow fell on the coast, not in the Panhandle. On December 24–25, 2004, Victoria recorded 12.5 inches, its first known white Christmas, and Corpus Christi had 4.4 inches, its second white Christmas after 1918. Brownsville had 1.5 inches, the first white Christmas on record in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Galveston had 4 inches, but the official Houston weather station has never recorded snow on Christmas Day.

Victoria and Brownsville aren't in the tool: their weather stations didn't report snow depth every day in those years, so we can't calculate odds for them. Corpus Christi's airport did, which is why its record shows 2004 as its one white Christmas.

What counts as a white Christmas?

NOAA counts a white Christmas when there is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25. The tool also lets you count any of December 24, 25 or 26, which catches snow that fell on Christmas Day itself. The rule matters in Texas: NWS Amarillo counts 2012 as the city's last white Christmas because snow fell that day, while by the morning-of-the-25th rule Amarillo's last one was 2009.

Example: Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW Airport)

  • 1991–2020: snow on the ground on Christmas morning in 1 of 23 years with a reading (2009)
  • The 3 inches that fell on Christmas Eve 2009 lasted into Christmas morning.

Where in Texas are the odds best?

Snow on the ground on Christmas morning, 1991–2020:

  • Pampa: 14%
  • Amarillo: 13%
  • Lubbock: 10%
  • Dallas–Fort Worth: 1 of 23 years
  • Houston, Austin, San Antonio: never

Why our numbers differ from NOAA's map

NOAA's white Christmas map gives a smoothed figure: it averages how often there was snow on the ground over a four-week window, December 11 to January 8, across 1991–2020. We count actual Christmas mornings, so for rare events like a Texas white Christmas we'd rather say "1 of 23 Christmases (2009)" than a percentage. If a station has no snow-depth reading for a Christmas, that year is left out rather than counted as green.

Frequently asked questions

Has it ever snowed on Christmas in Texas?

Yes. The Panhandle gets a white Christmas about one year in eight or ten, Dallas–Fort Worth had one in 2009, and the Gulf Coast had a famous one in 2004, when Victoria recorded 12.5 inches.

Will Dallas have a white Christmas in 2026?

Nobody can say yet; check weather.gov in the week before Christmas. In the past it has been very rare: once in the 23 Christmases with a reading from 1991 to 2020.

Has Houston ever had a white Christmas?

The official Houston weather station has never recorded snow on Christmas Day. In 2004, snow fell south of the city, with 4 inches at Galveston.

What does NOAA count as a white Christmas?

At least 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25.

Sources

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