These US states got a White Christmas, including rare Dec. 25 snowfalls in parts of California

Meanwhile, Heat Miser paid a visit to parts of the South.

WLS logo
Sunday, December 26, 2021
2021 White Christmas in the US
At least 21 states throughout the U.S. recorded snowfall on Christmas Eve and Christmas, with California and other parts of the American West experiencing a rare White Christmas.

At least 21 states throughout the U.S. recorded snowfall on Christmas Eve and Christmas, with California and other parts of the American West experiencing a rare White Christmas.



Meanwhile, Heat Miser paid a visit to parts of the South, with some Texas cities welcoming Santa with summerlike temperatures.



Here's a look at Christmas Day weather throughout the U.S.



Rare White Christmas for parts of the West


Parts of California saw a White Christmas after all, with snowfall pounding mountains across the state.



Up to 20 inches of snow was reported in Homewood Mountain near Lake Tahoe.



Parts of California are getting a White Christmas after all, with snowfall pounding mountains across the state.


A 70-mile stretch of an interstate over the top of the Sierra Nevada was closed Saturday due to winter storms.



More than 6 million people across the Western U.S. were under a winter storm warning, reaching as far south as the San Bernardino and Riverside County Mountains.



This is due to Arctic air pushing into the Pacific Northwest, which is causing winter storm alerts to reach near the coast.



The system also produced a rare White Christmas for Seattle and Portland. Seattle has only seen measurable snow on Christmas Day nine times in 127 years of records.



More Christmas snowfalls


Much of the Northeast saw a White Christmas too, with snowfall reported in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and parts of upstate New York on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service.



Winter weather advisories were in effect for parts of the region, largely due to freezing rain.



Other states with reported White Christmases include Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, according to the NWS.





Heat Miser visits South and Southeast



Christmas Day doesn't feel much like winter for much of the South and Southeast.



More than 200 records may be broken Christmas Day through Wednesday from Texas to the southeastern U.S. as warm air pushes into the region, bringing spring- and summerlike temperatures. Many locations, including Dallas, Houston and Austin are expected to break daily record highs, but high-temperature records for the entire month of December could also be broken.



Specifically, Dallas has a forecast high for Christmas of 83, which is only 6 degrees under its July 4 high; Houston has a forecast high of 81, which is 9 degrees below its July 4 high.



Wichita Falls, Texas, hit 91 Friday -- warmer than its July 4 high of 88, and Grandfield, Oklahoma, reached 89, which also beats its July 4 high of 88.



Along with the warm temperatures, level 2 of 3 critical fire danger has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center for parts of west Texas and Oklahoma and east Colorado on Sunday due to minimal rain chances, sustained winds up to 25 mph and very low relative humidity that will raise wildfire concerns. The warm weather trend will continue through Wednesday before temperatures lower slightly, but highs will remain above average all week.



The Associated Press and CNN Wire contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.