New York City, Boston see first official white Christmas in 15 years
The National Weather Service's definition of a white Christmas is at least an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day.
New York City experiences first white Christmas in 15 years
It's official, it's a white Christmas in New York City with at least 1 inch of snow on the ground in Central Park Wednesday morning. It's the first white Christmas for the Big Apple since 2009.
NEW YORK – For the first time in 15 years, both New York City and Boston woke up to a white Christmas.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service office in New York were out in Central Park on Christmas morning measuring the recent snow. With at least an inch of snow on the ground, the NWS declared this the first white Christmas for the city since 2009.
While holiday movies paint a picturesque idea of Christmas in snow-covered New York, an official white Christmas is actually rare. Since 1983, there have only been four times on Dec. 25 where snow measurements have met the inch-on-the-ground requirement for a white Christmas.
Is there anything more wonderful than snow in New York City? How about snow on Christmas Eve?! The Big Apple's snowiest Christmas Eve ever was 11.4" in 1912; that's the same year the Titanic sunk! The last white Christmas was in 2009.
(FOX Weather)
The most snowfall ever recorded on Christmas in Central Park happened in 1909 when 7 inches were on the ground.
After a cloudy Christmas morning this year, sunshine will break through and the city is forecast to reach a high of 36 degrees.
In addition to the Big Apple, Boston also saw a white Christmas this year.
Snow falls at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
(Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / FOX Weather)
The National Weather Service reported Wednesday that 3 inches of snow was on the ground for Christmas – 2 inches more than the minimum necessary for a white Christmas.
However, the snow may be fleeting. While Boston will see a high of 32 degrees on Christmas, temperatures will rise above freezing starting Thursday.