MACON, Ga. — Christmas Eve morning, Middle Georgia Regional airport recorded an overnight low of 13° with the coldest wind chill coming in at -2°. It was the coldest temperature recorded at the airport since January 30, 2014.
So, when was the last time we were this cold on Christmas?
Well, the answer is complicated. It is dependent on which times you compare. Regardless, there is one year that stands out in central Georgia history: 1983.
Ronald Reagan was president, A Christmas Story just came out, and Christmas Eve saw a low temperature of 10° with a Christmas morning low of 7°. A historic storm was moving across the United States causing temperatures to go as low as -30° across the northern tier.
Just 6 years later, in 1989, a low of 10° was experience once again on Christmas Eve. Those were the two coldest Christmas Eves on record. The third coldest is now 2022 with the overnight low of 13°.
This year, we set a record minimum high temperature on Christmas Eve, only warming to 32° during the afternoon. That means every other Christmas Eve on record in central Georgia saw temperatures warmer than in 2022.
Coldest Christmas Eve Lows
- 1989: 10°
- 1983: 10°
- 2022: 13°
- 2000: 20°
- 1967: 20°
- 1906: 20°
- 2005: 21°
- 1976: 21°
Coldest Christmas Eve Highs
- 2022: 32°
- 1993: 35°
- 1989: 37°
- 1929: 37°
- 1906: 38°
- 1943: 39°
- 1963: 40°
- 1945: 40
Coldest Christmas Lows
- 1983: 7°
- 1985: 17°
- 2022: 13°
- 1966: 20°
- 1935: 22°
- 1995: 23°
- 2020: 24°
- 1999: 25°
- 1929: 25°
- 1906: 25°
Coldest Christmas Highs
- 1983: 25°
- 1943: 35°
- 1989: 37°
- 1962: 39°
- 2020: 41°
- 2004: 42°
- 1998: 42°
- 1947: 42°
- 1906: 42°
- 2022: 43°
The warmest Christmas Eve in Macon was recorded in 1964 and 2015 when the high temperature reached 77°. The warmest Christmas occurred in 2016, 2015, and 1982 with highs at 78°.
