Greenville Area Christmas Day Climatology

Greenville Area

High Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Greenville	52.4°F	81°F (1942) 80°F (1955) 79°F (1982) 79°F (1964) 75°F (2016)	27°F (1990) 29°F (1989) 32°F (1998) 32°F (1924) 34°F (2004)

Low Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Greenville	34.5°F	64°F (1982) 62°F (1942) 61°F (1955) 59°F (2015) 58°F (2016)	9°F (1963) 14°F (1985) 16°F (1990) 17°F (2004) 17°F (1953)

Location	Wettest Years	Years With Measurable Precipitation/Total Years
Greenville	3.33" (1926) 1.27" (1969) 1.23" (1945) 1.22" (2012) 1.12" (1975)	30/113 (27%)

1983 - Extreme cold gripped the Deep South. Four died in the state of Mississippi as a result of exposure.
1987 - Heavy rain fell over much of the state of Arkansas, leading to flooding which lasted on some rivers through the following weeks. The Ouachita River reached the moderate flooding category at Felsenthal Lock and Dam by early January.
1989 - A cold wave affected the Deep South, with the coldest air occurring during the days leading up to Christmas. The low temperatures caused water lines to freeze and break across the area.
2015 - Numerous roads were flooded around the cities of Cleveland and Dermott, including AR Highway 35 near Dermott.

It goes without saying, the probability of experiencing a White Christmas in the ArkLaMiss is very, very low. However, locales in the ArkLaMiss Delta area have seen at least one White Christmas over the last century, and a few areas have seen two or three. The map below from the National Climatic Data Center shows the probability of seeing a White Christmas based on past Christmas weather conditions. To qualify as an official White Christmas the snow depth must be at least one inch on Christmas Day. The snowfall did not necessarily need to occur on Christmas Day.

Below is a listing of past White Christmases and a few close calls.

1913 - Rain on Christmas Eve night changed over to light snow on Christmas morning in a few areas. Where it fell, the snow melted on contact, thus it was not an official White Christmas. Light snow was reported at Cleveland, Moorhead, and Rosedale.
1929 - Between December 21st and 23rd, a significant winter storm dropped 7 to 13 inches of snow across northwest Mississippi and southeast Arkansas, with 12.5" reported at Portland AR, 11.5" at Crossett AR, 10" at Greenville, 9 1/4" at Stoneville, 8" at Cleveland and Scott, and 7" at Moorhead. Temperatures were cold enough over the following days to allow some snow to stay on the ground through Christmas Day. Limited snow depth information is available from Christmas Day, but Crossett reported 1/2" still on the ground, and some surrounding stations reported similar amounts. So, even though most of the snow had melted, it was officially a White Christmas for part of the Delta.
1935 - On the night of December 21st into the morning of December 22nd, 2 to 5 inches of snow fell across the area. During the following days, high temperatures in the 40s and 50s melted this snow fairly quickly. Though most of the snow was gone by Christmas Day, trace amounts of snow were still on the ground in a few areas.
1962 - Over north and western sections of the area, snow and sleet fell from December 23rd through Christmas Eve morning. 1 to 4 inches of snow accumulated across much of the area by Christmas Eve morning. Precipitation then changed to sleet and freezing rain during the daytime hours Christmas Eve, so most of the snow melted before Christmas Day. Though there were trace amounts of snow, sleet, and glaze on Christmas morning.
1963 - A significant winter storm brought 6 to 12 inches of snow to the Delta on December 22nd and 23rd. The solid snow pack helped hold down temperatures over the next few days. This allowed much of the snow to stick around through Christmas Day. Reports indicate as much as a half a foot of snow was still on the ground Christmas morning across parts of the Delta. Christmas Day snow depth reports include 6" at Cleveland, 4" at Scott, 3" at Crossett (5 pm). Travel was significantly impacted across the region. The weight of the snow, sleet, and ice did considerable damage to trees, utility lines, and collapsed a number of metal business and residential canopies.
1990 - A light wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet occurred on Christmas Eve. There were minor accumulations across the area. A few sites reported a trace of sleet/ice on the ground Christmas Day, including Cleveland and Moorhead.
1998 - Though it wasn't a White Christmas in the classical sense, it probably looked like one in many areas. A significant ice storm impacted the region from the evening of December 22nd through early Christmas morning. Up to an inch of ice and sleet accumulated in the ArkLaMiss Delta area. Power outages were widespread across the area, and holiday travel was severely hampered.
2010 - Off and on rain showers became sleet and snow showers across parts of the area on Christmas Day. Though it didn't snow enough for significant accumulations, some locations such as Stoneville and Moorhead received a dusting of snow.

*Indicates data from a COOP station. While data from primary climate sites is based on information ending at midnight, most COOP observations are taken between 6 am and 8 am. As a result, high temperatures are usually indicative of the high from the previous day. Low temperatures may be indicative of the low from either the current day or the day before. This is the reason there are some discrepancies between these sites and midnight-to-midnight observing sites.