Vicksburg Area Christmas Day Climatology

Vicksburg/Tallulah Area

High Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Vicksburg/Tallulah*	56.7°F	80°F (1982) 79°F (2016) 79°F (2015) 79°F (1955) 77°F (1974) 77°F (1964)	18°F (1983) 29°F (1990) 30°F (1998) 30°F (1989) 35°F (2004)

Low Temperature

Location	Normal	Warmest Years	Coldest Years
Vicksburg/Tallulah*	36.0°F	69°F (1987) 68°F (2015) 63°F (1982) 61°F (1955) 54°F (1964)	5°F (1983) 8°F (1989) 15°F (1963) 18°F (1990) 21°F (2004/1966)

Location	Wettest Years	Years With Measurable Precipitation/Total Years
Vicksburg/Tallulah*	2.60" (1973) 2.03" (2012) 1.40" (1976) 0.89" (2011) 0.81" (1975)	18/69 (26%)

1973 - Heavy rains caused flooding across portions of central and south Mississippi. In Vicksburg, around 40 families had to be evacuated due to rising waters. Property damage to homes was estimated at around $200,000.
1982 - Extensive flooding was developing across much of the state of Louisiana as rain began on Christmas night and continued through December 28th. Storm total rainfall amounts of around 15" fell in a large swath from near Monroe southwestward to Lake Charles. In the following weeks, major flooding occurred on the Beouf River near Fort Necessity, minor flooding occurred on the Beouf at Alto, and the Tensas River crested above flood stage at Newlight.
1983 - Extreme cold gripped the Deep South. Four died in the state of Mississippi and 11 died in Louisiana as a result of exposure.
1987 - Heavy rain fell over portions of north central Louisiana and 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.
2012 - Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across the area. A man died in west of Epps in Richland Parish, Louisiana when a tree fell on his mobile home. Additional trees were downed around Vicksburg and Port Gibson.

It goes without saying, the probability of experiencing a White Christmas in the ArkLaMiss is very, very low. However, locales in the Vicksburg/northeast Louisiana area have seen at least one White Christmas over the last century, and a few areas have seen more. 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 does not necessarily need to occur on Christmas Day.

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

1929 - Between December 21st and 22nd, a significant winter storm dropped 3 to 11 inches of snow across the west central Mississippi and northeast Louisiana area, with 10" reported at Anguilla, 8.1" reported at St. Joseph, 8" at Port Gibson, 5.6" at Tallulah, and 3.8" at Winnsboro. Temperatures were sufficiently cold over the following days to allow snow to stay on the ground through Christmas. On the night of Christmas Eve, 2" of snow was still on the ground at Anguilla and 1" was on the ground at Vicksburg. Based on information from surrounding areas, it seems likely there was still an inch of snow on the ground across much of the area, making this an official White Christmas.
1935 - On the night of December 21st into the morning of December 22nd, 1 to 4 inches of snow fell across the area, with 4" reported at Lake Providence, 3.5" at Port Gibson, 3.3" at Bastrop, 3" at Vicksburg at St. Joseph, and 2.5" at Tallulah. During the following days, high temperatures in the 40s and 50s melted this snow quickly in most areas. Though most of the snow was gone by Christmas Day, trace amounts of snow were still on the ground in a few locations. However, it was not an official White Christmas.
1962 - Over portions of northeast Louisiana and west central Mississippi, light snow and sleet mixed in with a cold rain from December 23rd through Christmas Eve. While there are no official reports of accumulations within this area, data from surrounding sites suggest there may have been light accumulations along the Louisiana/Arkansas border on Christmas morning, but it would not have been an official White Christmas.
1963 - A significant winter storm affected the entire area between December 20th and 22nd. The west central Mississippi/northeast Louisiana area was in a transition zone between snowier conditions to the north and an ice storm to the south. Precipitation types wavered back and forth between snow and ice. 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. Accumulation amounts ranged from 6.8" at Rolling Fork, 5" at Anguilla and Lake Providence, and 4.3" at Bonita in Morehouse Parish, where there was more snow than ice, to 0.8" at Port Gibson, where there was more ice. The event was followed by record cold conditions, with temperatures in the single digits in some locations (below zero temperatures were reported farther north in the state). These cold conditions allowed much of the ice and snow to remain on the ground through Christmas morning, making it an official White Christmas for most of the area. Among observing sites that were reporting snow depth on Christmas Day, Rolling Fork reported 5", Lake Providence reported 4", Oak Ridge 3", Bonita 2.7", and Tallulah reported 2".
1990 - A strong cold front pushed across the region early on December 23rd. As precipitation tapered off behind the front, some light sleet and snow mixed in with the rain bringing very light wintry accumulations to a few areas. However, no snow or ice was reported on the ground on Christmas morning at area observing sites.
1998 - Though it wasn't a White Christmas in the classical sense, it probably looked like one in many areas. A crippling ice storm impacted the region throughout the Christmas holiday, with freezing rain and sleet occurring from the evening of December 22nd through Christmas Eve. Up to two inches of ice and sleet accumulated in portions of northeast Louisiana and west central Mississippi. Damage to power lines was moderate to severe, and power outages lasted for several days across the area. In addition, holiday travel was severely hampered.
2010 - There was no official White Christmas in west central Mississippi or northeast Louisiana, but some locations experienced brief periods of show showers or snow flurries on Christmas Day including Bastrop, Lake Providence, Port Gibson, and Rolling Fork.

*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.