Possible ‘White Christmas’ for area

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December 23, 2012

Possible ‘White Christmas’ for area

By BRAD KELLAR Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Sun Dec 23, 2012, 05:15 AM CST

As the big day draws closer, meteorologists are still thinking some North Texas residents could at least see a few snowflakes on Christmas afternoon or by Wednesday morning.

If it occurs locally, it would be the first “unofficial” White Christmas Hunt County has recorded since 2009.

The last two Christmases in Greenville have been cold and chilly and as of Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service forecast was calling for the same conditions Tuesday, at least during the morning hours.

A 30 percent chance of showers is expected during the early morning hours Tuesday, with a low near 38 and winds gusting out of the east at up to 20 mph.

The Christmas Day forecast was calling for a 40 percent chance of rain before noon, then a chance of snow, with a high near 44. East winds will start at 15 to 20 mph then become north in the afternoon, gusting as high as 25 mph.

There is a 30 percent chance of snow between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with a low around 25 and a north/northwest wind with gusts as high as 30 mph.

The high Wednesday should only reach the mid-30s, with winds still gusting out of the north.

As of Saturday afternoon, there was no mention of any snow accumulation in the forecast, and no indication of any freezing rain or sleet, any of which could make driving conditions hazardous by Wednesday morning.

But the forecast could change between now and then.

Greenville and most of Hunt County received up to two inches of snow from a storm which blew in on Christmas Eve 2009.

There have been some really close calls during the years.

A powerful arctic front blew into Greenville on the morning of Dec. 22, 2004, bringing a combination of ice and snow and plunging temperatures into the low teens by Christmas Eve, with near zero wind chills. There were still some patches of snow in spots on Christmas Day.

A light dusting of snow fell on some parts of the area on Dec. 22-23 of 1990, and a trace of snow was reported in North Texas on Dec. 23, 1983.

The great Christmas Day ice storm of 2000 was actually two ice storms back to back during the last week of the year. Several inches of ice fell across the region, leaving some cities without power for days.