From Chicago to Baltimore, These Are The Highest Christmas Day Temperatures in Weather History

By Hristina  •  December 25, 2024
A steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy cane in a snowy setting, perfect for winter coziness.https://climate-crisis-247-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/07233037/3309824-150x150.jpeg

While plenty of kids and adults wish for a white Christmas every winter, recent years have seen Christmas temperatures soar to abnormal, unseasonable highs.

In 2016, temperatures in San Antonio hit 82.9°F on Christmas Day, more than 30°F above normal. Temperatures in Houston hit 84.9°F on Christmas in 2015, over 31°F above normal. And while a majority of Christmas temperature records have been set in the last decade, some of the most sweltering Yuletides occurred in the 1950s and 1980s. A look at historical NOAA data reveals the hottest Christmases ever.

Buried! The 25 Snowiest Days in US History
Hot property? From Maui to Malibu, These Affluent Enclaves Are Becoming Wildfire Hotspots

To determine the hottest Christmases ever, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed historical data from the NOAA’s Global Historical Climatology Network. The maximum temperature recorded on Christmas Day in every major city was ranked based on the difference from normal maximum temperatures on Christmas Day in that city for 1901 to 2000. Only weather stations with at least 100 years of data in cities with at least 250,000 residents were considered. Population data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

25. Christmas 2016 (San Antonio, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Joseph Fuller

  • Maximum temperature: 82.9°F (+30.0°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 52.9°F
 

24. Christmas 1955 (Austin, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Pixabay

  • Maximum temperature: 91.0°F (+30.0°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 61.0°F
 

23. Christmas 1982 (Fort Wayne, IN)

Pexels / Photo by Zachary Vessels

  • Maximum temperature: 64.0°F (+30.2°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 33.8°F
 

22. Christmas 2005 (Denver, CO)

Pexels / Photo by Thomas Ward

  • Maximum temperature: 69.1°F (+30.4°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 38.7°F
 

21. Christmas 1982 (Milwaukee, WI)

Pexels / Photo by Pixabay

  • Maximum temperature: 61.0°F (+30.5°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 30.5°F
 

20. Christmas 2015 (Boston, MA)

Pexels / Photo by C.C. Henry

  • Maximum temperature: 69.1°F (+30.7°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 38.4°F
 

19. Christmas 2019 (Kansas City, MO)

Pexels / Photo by ANDREW PETERSON

  • Maximum temperature: 66.0°F (+30.9°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 35.2°F
 

18. Christmas 2021 (Indianapolis, IN)

Pexels / Photo by Josh Hild

  • Maximum temperature: 63.0°F (+31.2°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 31.8°F
 

17. Christmas 2015 (Houston, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Tanya G

  • Maximum temperature: 84.9°F (+31.3°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 53.7°F
 

16. Christmas 1955 (Fort Worth, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Talena Reese

  • Maximum temperature: 90.0°F (+31.4°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 58.6°F
 

15. Christmas 2023 (St. Paul, MN)

Pexels / Photo by Thomas Parker

  • Maximum temperature: 55.0°F (+31.9°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 23.2°F
 

14. Christmas 2015 (Baltimore, MD)

Pexels / Photo by Kelly

  • Maximum temperature: 66.9°F (+32.4°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 34.5°F
 

13. Christmas 2023 (Columbus, OH)

Pexels / Photo by Chris F

  • Maximum temperature: 64.0°F (+32.8°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 31.2°F
 

12. Christmas 2015 (Memphis, TN)

Pexels / Photo by Uncle Rico

  • Maximum temperature: 77.0°F (+33.5°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 43.5°F
 

11. Christmas 2015 (Virginia Beach, VA)

Pexels / Photo by Aneesh Prodduturu

  • Maximum temperature: 75.0°F (+34.3°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 40.7°F
 

10. Christmas 2023 (Minneapolis, MN)

Pexels / Photo by Josh Hild

  • Maximum temperature: 54.0°F (+34.5°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 19.5°F
 

9. Christmas 2021 (Arlington, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Pixabay

  • Maximum temperature: 82.9°F (+35.4°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 47.5°F
 

8. Christmas 2019 (Chicago, IL)

Pexels / Photo by Chait Goli

  • Maximum temperature: 61.0°F (+36.7°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 24.3°F
 

7. Christmas 2021 (Dallas, TX)

Pexels / Photo by Orlando Vera

  • Maximum temperature: 81.0°F (+37.0°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 44.0°F
 

6. Christmas 2019 (Wichita, KS)

Pexels / Photo by Taylor Hunt

  • Maximum temperature: 66.9°F (+37.5°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 29.4°F
 

5. Christmas 2016 (Oklahoma City, OK)

Pexels / Photo by Zan Rodriguez

  • Maximum temperature: 73.0°F (+37.9°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 35.2°F
 

4. Christmas 2021 (Louisville, KY)

Pexels / Photo by Arian Fernandez

  • Maximum temperature: 73.9°F (+38.2°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 35.8°F
 

3. Christmas 2023 (Cleveland, OH)

Pexels / Photo by DAVID Mercado

  • Maximum temperature: 64.0°F (+39.0°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 25.0°F
 

2. Christmas 2005 (Tulsa, OK)

Pexels / Photo by Quang Vuong

  • Maximum temperature: 75.9°F (+40.9°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 35.0°F
 

1. Christmas 2015 (Raleigh, NC)

Pexels / Photo by Andretti Brown

  • Maximum temperature: 75.9°F (+41.9°F above normal)
  • Normal Christmas maximum, 1901-2000: 34.0°F