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Today is the December Solstice! It officially arrives at 8:19 pm.
After today we are going to see our days get longer again with more daylight hours. But it’s a slow process at this time of year - tomorrow we only gain 1 second of daylight!
On Monday we will gain 6 seconds and on Christmas Eve we will gain 13 seconds. Our annual winter solstice also means Santa is coming in just a few days, so let’s explore what the chance of a white Christmas is here in Kelowna.
We break it down for you based on climatic statistics. In this article, the definition of a white Christmas is when we see 2 centimetres or more of snow on the ground.
Recap for the last few years - 2015 to 2018 in Kelowna
Four years ago in 2015, we had 4 cm of snow on the ground for Christmas but no new snow during the day.
Back in 2016, there was also no new snow reported on Dec. 25, but there was 15 cm on the ground for Christmas.
2017 was just like the two years prior when there was no new snow for Dec. 25, but there was snow on the ground - 7cm.
As for last year in 2018, we barely had any snow on the ground - just 1cm - and there was no snow that day either.
1955 to 2018 in Kelowna
The chance of a white Christmas is about 63% according to climate statistics. Between 1955 to 2018, we had 23 green Christmases!
What about this year, 2019?
We do have a bit of snow in the forecast Sunday night, but it’s hard to say at this time whether or not it will stick around, as we have daytime highs slightly above freezing between Monday and Christmas Day.
At this time of year, my confidence in long term forecasting is often low, and with Christmas still several days away, there is the potential for change! At this time, however, no significant storms are expected on this year’s December 25, but there is a slight risk of a few flurries.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Kelowna!
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