The 13th Annual Boards White Christmas Thread (Christmas 2022)

Rebelbrowser

12z GFS still giving hope for a (technical, at worst) White Christmas somewhere on our Isle. GFS snow charts are famously inaccurate and tend to predict snow far too often, but still with keeping an eye out here. See below.

Bottom line is we aren't getting a big freeze up this Christmas as had seemed possible but we are getting very shortlived cold for a few hours on Christmas night that could possibly give snow to a few. I'd take it, as that is ultimately what this thread is about...

Rebelbrowser

As above

Rebelbrowser

18z GFS similar for Christmas night..

Rebelbrowser

Still some small chance of a White Christmas somewhere on the island. GFS for 9pm on Christmas night is below, pink is sleet or snow. Interestingly has areas not just on the NW / W coast having a chance. Separately the upper temps from the ECM for 3am on Stephens Day show that there is some very cold, if shortlived, upper air around....

Rebelbrowser

MTC's forecast for tomorrow:-

"...CHRISTMAS DAY (Sunday 25th) will bring more showers although there might be a few brighter spells too. Turning somewhat cooler from the northwest during the afternoon. Highs 8-10 C south and east, 7-9 C west and north. Some showers could turn sleety or wintry over higher parts of the north and west during the night (25th-26th), as lows drop to the 2-4 C range...".

So a very small chance yet for very select areas, eg. the NW, but unfortunately it's far more likely that we go yet another year without a White Christmas....

Let's see though.

pauldry

Therel be a flake at 1159pm in Donegal. Will that classify as a White Christmas?

Rebelbrowser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120031405#Comment_120031405

Desperate times call for...

Rebelbrowser

We had hail in Cork this morning I should say!

Pangea

Well surprisingly the hills have a covering of snow here in SW Donegal right now

Danno

Lough Fea (NI) reporting "Rain Snow" at 5pm.

Niall145

Could also be a decent dusting of snow on the Dublin/Wicklow mountains by tomorrow morning

Reversal

Heavy wet snow in Clondalkin! White Christmas then?

Awaaf

Heavy wet snowflakes for 90secs in Deansgrange

Rebelbrowser

Someone more qualified than me will have to call this but do we have a white Christmas in parts of the east coast going on some posts on this forum tonight?

Here in Cork my personal station got to 11.4c but temps have been falling since, now about 4c.

Interestingly, we all think temps in double figures on Xmas day are a new phenomenon yet someone posted a table with Xmas day temps in London since 1840 on another thread and amazing to see how often temps were 10c plus, even in the 19th century.

Anywho, Happy Christmas all!

Billcarson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033710#Comment_120033710

That was me who posted the temps in London since 1840. In 1843 for example the Yr that a Christmas Carol was written and set in was the warmest Christmas of the 1840s ( Well at least in London ) max of 10c that Christmas day there.

sryanbruen

Here's a graph showing the daily maximum and minimum temperatures for Christmas Day at Dublin (Phoenix Park) since 1855. 1959 and 1960 are not available whilst 2022 so far is estimated from the WOW site. Also note before 1881, the Phoenix Park data is disregarded from official records due to pre-standard instrumentation used before then.

The mildest Christmas Day in terms of high max was 13.9C in 1865 and 1920. 2016 was 3rd highest at 13.7C. The highest Christmas min temp was 9.6C in 1898.

The coldest Christmas Day in terms of low max was 0.0C in 1870. The lowest of recent was 1995 with 1.2C. Meanwhile, the lowest Christmas min temp was -10.4C in 2010 followed by -7.5C in 1981.

The longest period of Christmas Days here without an air frost was 1926-1936, 11 years.

Rebelbrowser

According to the post pasted below, Casement recorded snow at 9pm in reports. Think that means it was officially a white Christmas?

Donegal

Posts: 188 ✭✭ 25-12-2022 8:45pm edited 10:00PM

8pm Casement recording sleet and Dublin airport recording rain.

Edit Casement recorded recent snow at 9pm.

Rebelbrowser

Separately, thanks Bill Carson and Sryanbruen. Amazingly consistent temps on Xmas day since 1840 really.

Billcarson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033982#Comment_120033982

I'm surprised Christmas day max in 2010 wasn't sub zero.

prosaic

Late report, Snow fell in Sligo Town this morning. I woke at about 8am and roofs hads light dusting. What was visible of lower hills also had light covering. Rain started around 8:30 and it completely disappeared very quickly. I was busy so couldn't stop to take it in or photo. Sorry.

sryanbruen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120034016#Comment_120034016

The calendar day was subzero, in fact the max from midnight to midnight was only -6.1C all day. However, for the climatological day of 09-09, the temp reached 2.3C at 0900 on the 26th so was not an official ice day.

The climatological maximum for Christmas Eve was ~-5.1C (give or take error of absolute hourly values) meanwhile.

Rebelbrowser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120034016#Comment_120034016

Temps rocketed all that day, suspect by 11pm it was over 0c

M.T. Cranium

Those stylized Christmas card scenes actually exist, we have them here ... lots of snow sticking to all the trees, soft flurries coming down at times, and a heavy base of 50 cms. I don't see any squirrels. deer and bears in social harmony gazing at a nativity scene, but maybe that's happening elsewhere in town. Or maybe a couple more glasses of sherry and I will see that? Giving it a try.

prosaic

Snowing in Sligo now

pauldry

Yup. Very wet snow though. Mountains might have a dusting later though.

prosaic

Truskmore

Blackbird heading for the food.

prosaic

Snow shower band coming in at Strandhill earlier

Rebelbrowser

Anyone hear whether Met E consider the Casement report of snow last night as valid / a white Christmas?

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120035083#Comment_120035083

While not pertaining to Ireland - in the following article: 'Technical' white Christmas as snow falls in NI (rte.ie) ...

I notice the following:

"What we define a white Christmas as is just a few snowflakes falling, even if it's mixed with rain, so it's a technical white Christmas but, for most places, particularly in England and Wales, it was too mild."

With Casement reporting sleet and recent snow on the 8pm and 9pm reports respectively last night coupled with the UKMO's definition, we should be able to call 2022 a "White Christmas"

sryanbruen

Barra Best responded to me this morning saying because Dublin Airport didn't see snow falling, it was not a white Christmas for the "south". A tad silly to use one single station as a representation for the entire country is it not?