Maps show the towns and villages across the UK where there could be a sprinkle of snow on either Christmas Day or Boxing Day (Picture: Getty)
We all may (or may not be) be dreaming of a white Christmas this time next week, and the Met Office has now revealed where in the UK will be hit with snow on Christmas Day.
The odds of the white stuff falling in the north have been slashed despite temperatures rising slightly to give a milder feeling over the last few days.
We have also seen a host of wet and windy weather across the UK over the last few weeks, with chilly winds taking the edge of other sunny spells.
In their long-range forecast, the Met Office has now predicted a period of north winds this week could bring in some snow and ice up until December 26.
They said: ‘It now looks probable there will be at least one short-lived colder interlude next week, with a period of north of northwesterly winds that could bring some snow and ice, especially in the north.’
But does this mean the UK will see any sizable amounts of snow over Christmas?
Where is it going to snow in the UK at Christmas 2023?
Having some of the white stuff outside as you open your presents is something that Britons see as the perfect way to get in the festive spirit.
From movies and songs to cards and decorations, Britons have associated snow with yuletide joy ever since Charles Dickens first popularised the idea in the Victorian period.
The definition of a white Christmas has changed, from snowfall at the Met Office’s London building, to a flake seen to fall in the 24 hours of December 25 somewhere in the UK.
So, will we see some snowflakes fall or lay on the ground this December 25?
Newcastle, London, Manchester, and Glasgow could all be due a sprinkling of the white stuff (Picture: Met Office / Metro.co.uk)
Some parts of the UK are expecting a white Christmas (Picture: Getty)
It could be a Christmas Day with a sledge if the UK gets a full downpour of snow this year(Picture: PA)
What are the latest White Christmas odds?
Their latest odds are as follows:
Edinburgh – 6/4
Newcastle – 2/1
Belfast – 5/2
Manchester – 4/1
Liverpool – 5/1
Birmingham – 6/1
Dublin – 6/1
Cardiff – 7/1
London – 8/1.
When was the last white Christmas?
Technically, 2022 was the last white Christmas in the UK with 9% of stations recording snow falling, although none reported any snow lying on the ground.
Before that, 2021 and 2020 were also white Christmases, with 6% of weather stations recording snow falling in both years – but less than 1% of stations reported any snow lying on the ground in 2021 and only 4% in 2020.
There was no record of snow falling at any station in the UK in 2018, or in 2019.
The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010. It was extremely unusual, as not only was there snow on the ground at 83% of stations (the highest amount ever recorded) but snow or sleet also fell at 19% of stations.
We also had a white Christmas in 2009, when 13% of stations recorded the white stuff landing.
Only one snowflake has to fall on Christmas Day for it to be a white Christmas (Picture: Getty)
How likely is a white Christmas?
Tower Bridge in the capital could be covered in the white stuff on the big day (Picture: Getty Images)
The Met Office can accurately forecast whether snow is likely on any given Christmas Day up to five days beforehand.
Currently, their long-range forecast (from Monday, December 11 to Monday, December 25) suggests it is very likely to be a white Christmas.
The forecast reads: ‘Conditions are most likely to be changeable through this period.
‘Wetter and windier than average conditions are slightly more likely than normal, especially in the west and northwest.
What is the Met Office forecast for Christmas Day?
Friday 22 Dec – Sunday 31 Dec
Unsettled with milder, mobile spells of wind and rain, and briefer colder interludes most likely.
Initially, for the north, showers, heavy in places and wintry to low levels, with drier and brighter conditions further south. Lingering strong winds should ease early in the period.
Milder conditions, likely returning for a time over the weekend. By the Christmas period, a chance of a colder, showery interlude with northerly winds potentially bringing some snowfall, mainly across hills in the north.
However, this colder interlude could be short-lived, and may not reach the far south before a milder Atlantic, westerly flow, becomes re-established.
This pattern most probable towards New Year’s Eve, with the majority of cloud and rain likely across the west, and drier and brighter conditions more probable in the east.
(Source: Met Office)
‘Temperatures are most likely to be near or above average overall, although this doesn’t rule out some spells of cold weather and associated wintry hazards.’
Around half of the years since 1960 have seen at least 5% of the network of locations recording snow on Christmas Day.
More: Christmas
Widespread snow is much rarer – there has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground recorded at 40% of weather stations in the UK four times in the last 51 years: in 1981, 1995, 2009, and 2010.
According to the Met Office’s definition, it is a White Christmas if one snowflake falls in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK.
While the national forecaster says the most accurate forecast for a White Christmas can be given between December 20 and 25, its long-range forecast now covers the big day.
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