Do you remember there was 49 cm of snow on Christmas? It was relatively recent 0 6

Since 1947, in most cases, there has been a snow cover of at least one centimeter on Christmas in Latvia, with the thickest snow cover recorded on average in 1981 and 2010 — 28 and 26 cm, respectively. However, the thickest snow cover in a specific region of Latvia was noted in Vidzeme — in 1981 in Madona, it averaged 47 cm from December 24 to 26.

At the same time, since 1947, there have been eight years when there was no snow across Latvia during these holidays — in 1951, 1960, 1974, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019. In five other years — 1958, 1971, 2007, 2011, and 2024 — snow cover was observed only in certain places and on average across the country did not reach one centimeter.

In the climate standard period of 1991–2020, an average of 63% of years in Latvia experienced a "white" Christmas. The least frequent "white" Christmas was recorded in Ainazi, where during the reference period, snow cover was present in only 43% of years, while in Aluksne, Daugavpils, and Zoseni, only every fifth Christmas occurred without snow.

During the climate norm period, snow cover exceeded five centimeters in 41% of years, most often in Aluksne — in 63% of years, and least often in Ainazi, where such snow thickness on Christmas occurs only once every five years. Although in coastal areas, snow cover on Christmas is usually less frequent, some of the thickest snow covers — 47 cm — since 1947 were recorded on specific Christmas days there: in Kolka on December 24, 2009, and in Rucava on December 26, 2010, notes the Latvian Centre for Environment, Geology and Meteorology (LCEGM).

The thickest snow cover on one of the Christmas days was recorded in Lubana during the first Christmas holidays of 1981 — 49 cm.

Due to climate change, the frequency of "white" Christmas has decreased. In the climate reference period of 1961–1990, an average of 77% of years in Latvia experienced snow cover, and snow cover of at least five centimeters on Christmas was present in 56% of years, which is 14% and 15% more than in the period of 1991–2020, respectively. The greatest reduction in "white" Christmas is observed in the interior regions of the country, while on the Baltic Sea coast, the number of Christmases with snow cover has even increased by several percentage points.

LCEGM also explains that due to climate change, the air temperature on Christmas has also risen. If during the period of 1981–2010, the average normative air temperature across the country was below 0 °C and winter weather was observed during the holidays in most cases, then in the new normative period, the average air temperature on Christmas on the Baltic Sea coast is usually slightly above 0 °C.

From year to year, the air temperature on Christmas can vary significantly. The warmest Christmas on average in Latvia was in 2015, when the average air temperature was +5 °C, however, the highest maximum temperature at meteorological stations was recorded in Kolka on December 26, 2016 — 10.3 °C.

In turn, the strongest frosts were observed in 1996 — the average air temperature across the country was -16.6 °C, and in Zoseni on December 26, the air temperature dropped to -31.5 °C.