Will Lexington residents see a white Christmas this year? Here’s what forecasters say
After last year’s Christmas tied a 1982 record for the warmest Dec. 25 in Lexington history, residents may be wondering what kind of weather to expect this holiday season.
The National Weather Service Thanksgiving Day forecast (as of noon Nov. 23) said Lexington residents should see a high around 64 degrees, with increasing clouds. There’s about a 30% to 60% chance of showers Thursday night, with a low of 47 degrees.
But just how likely is it Lexington area residents will see a white Christmas this year?
Will Lexington see a white Christmas in 2022?
The National Weather Service reports the Fayette County area has about a 0% to 25% historical probability of a white Christmas, which is defined as more than 1 inch of snow on the ground. The NWS report is based on data from 1981 to 2010.
The commonwealth falls into two different zones in the NWS Christmas snow probability map, so the precise likelihood of a snowy holiday depends on your specific location.
Here are Lexington’s Christmas weather records, from the NWS:
Snowiest: 6.5 inches in 1935
Deepest snow cover: 7 inches in 1935
Wettest: 2.35 inches in 1987
Warmest temperature: 70 degrees in 2021 and 1982
Coldest temperature: -9 degrees in 1983
The Farmers’ Almanac, which uses a secret formula to predict weather, has released a forecast projecting the likelihood of a white Christmas in Kentucky and across the country. Kentucky is in the almanac’s “Zone 2,” which also includes Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
“Merry mushy Christmas! Christmas weather: turning milder with a few showers of wet snow, rain,” the almanac’s Zone 2 prediction reads.
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