Has the MS Coast ever had snow on Christmas? Here’s the historic data & the forecast for this year
Dreaming of a white Christmas? We don’t blame you. While snow is uncommon for the Mississippi Coast, it’s definitely not unheard of.
In January, the Coast experienced the biggest snow storm in six decades, reaching up to 9 inches in parts of Long Beach and Ocean Springs, the Sun Herald reported. Sand castles along the beach were replaced by snowmen as residents marveled at the rare sight — a first for many in South Mississippi.
So, could the Coast see a snowy Christmas this year? Here’s what weather forecasts show.
MS Christmas weather prediction
The Mississippi Coast is expected to see above average temperatures heading into Christmas week, making a white Christmas unlikely for 2025, according to the National Weather Service in New Orleans.
“White Christmases are very rare down here,” forecasters said in a Dec. 15 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In fact, the Coast will likely experience unseasonably dry and warm conditions on Christmas Day, according to a Dec. 17 Accuweather forecast.
In the United States, the central and northern Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Midwest and interior Northeast regions are most favored to see snow on Christmas, experts said.
Has the MS Coast ever had a white Christmas?
The Mississippi Coast has only experienced snow on Christmas once — in 2004, according to records, the Sun Herald reported.
A photographer captured a couple from Canada walking down the Biloxi Lighthouse Pier as it snowed in 2004, according to the Sun Herald archives.
“Despite being on the Coast for vacation, Neil and Cheryl Prior didn’t seem to be that bothered by the unusual snowfall on Wednesday as they looked at the beach on the Lighthouse Pier at Porter Avenue in Biloxi,” the Sun Herald reported. “I woke up, looked outside and said, ‘It’s foggy outside’ then I realized that it was snow!” Neil Prior, who was in the photo, said at the time it was taken.
When was the coldest Christmas on the MS Coast?
The Mississippi Coast experienced the most extreme cold Christmas weather in 1983, when an Arctic blast pushed through the area, the Sun Herald reported.
Temperatures in 11 Mississippi cities dropped below 10 degrees Fahrenheit that day, but Pascagoula experienced the worst of it as temperatures reached a brutal 6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the report.
