Yes, Matthew, there is a snowy Christmas.

Aubrey resident Matthew Melgoza’s Christmas wish came true, bringing snowflakes to Denton County on Christmas Eve.

DRC/David Minton

Snow blankets a field near FM407 in Argyle amid high winds Thursday afternoon.

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Weather forecasters were surprised for the second time this year when the fluffy stuff began to fall at noon in downtown Denton.

Early last week, some forecasters, looking at long-term models, said a snowy Christmas was possible. But as meteorologists firmed up their predictions this week, moisture looked like it would fall well ahead of the cold air, and snow disappeared from the Christmas forecast.

The year’s other snowy day also came as a surprise when a light dusting fell in the early hours Dec. 2, and Denton County residents woke to a wintry welcome.

Meteorologist Mark Fox of the National Weather Service said Thursday’s snowfall could accumulate 2 to 3 inches.

Even though the snow blew hard and the air grew cold, the ground was still too warm and wet to guarantee that winter wonderland for Christmas morning, Fox said.

DRC file photo

Six inches of snow fell Dec. 15-16, 1983, making it possible for some snow people to linger long enough to deliver holiday wishes that winter.

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According to Fox, the last Christmas Day snow happened in 1997, although “most of the snow fell on the next day, Dec. 26,” Fox said.

The last heavy snow in Denton was March 6, 2008, when up to 7 inches of snow fell in the city, Fox said. Until that day, it had been more than six years since a significant snowfall.

On Feb. 5, 2002, about 3.5 inches of snow fell in North Texas.

Staff writers Karina Ramírez and Britney Tabor contributed to this report.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.