Will it snow this Christmas? Latest UK weather forecast for December

Tom Herbert16 December 2019

It's something that Bill Crosby once sang about, but are us Brits in line for a white Christmas this year?

Sadly, anyone hoping for a blanket of snow on the ground on December 25 will be disappointed to learn that it's not looking likely.

While it was a fairly common occurrence the Victorians, snowfall is becoming increasingly rare as the as world heats up. Instead, the Met Office says that only once in the last 51 years has there been a "widespread covering of snow on the ground" over Christmas.

December temperatures usually hover around even or above average, meaning it's never quite cold enough to snow, but we're more likely to see a dusting between January and March when colder weather typically hits Britain. The last time there was a white Christmas was nearly a decade ago, in 2010.

So will we see a white Christmas this year? When asked by the Standard, Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge replied with a blunt "no".

He added that outside of the hills in northern Scotland, snow is not looking likely but instead the festive season could be blighted by heavy downpours.

"But if you look at the long range forecast there isn't anything within that that suggests there's any snow outside of northern hills," he said.

"Generally across the UK it looks like it's going to be dominated by heavy rain, and any snow is becoming increasingly confined to northern hills."

Mr Madge added: "The prospect of a white Christmas is looking very low indeed. We couldn't' rule out a dusting in some of the higher communities of Scotland, but for anything else it doesn't look likely at all for that period".

Will we see a white Christmas this year?
Getty

Matthew Box, forecaster, added: "It's too early to tell at the moment. The period in the run-up to Christmas could see some unsettled weather with rain at times interspersed by some showers as well.

"Maybe a more settled spell becomes more established in and around Christmas. We may see some showers of snow over northern hills but whether people see a widespread white Christmas across the whole of the UK, it is looking unlikely.

"It may be a bit of a disappointment for many. It doesn't look like likely at the moment."

What are the odds on a white Christmas?

In a complete shift from the forecasters, the bookies have slashed the odds for the second time on a white Christmas this year.

The odds have tumbled from 4/9 and Ladbrokes has made it as low as 1/3 for any part of the UK to see snow on Christmas day this year.

Looking at towns and cities Edinburgh and Glasgow are the most likely to see snow and have listed at 4/1, while Cardiff and London have been placed at 10/1 with Ladbrokes.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "We're expecting a White Christmas this year and punters will be looking to cash in all over the UK with Edinburgh and Glasgow heading the betting to see snow."

  • Snow to fall anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day - 1/3

To see snow on Christmas

  • Edinburgh - 4/1
  • Glasgow - 4/1
  • Belfast - 6/1
  • Liverpool - 6/1
  • Nottingham - 6/1
  • Birmingham - 7/1
  • Bristol - 8/1
  • Dublin - 8/1
  • Cardiff - 10/1
  • London - 10/1

What is a white Christmas?

According to the Met Office, a white Christmas occurs when one snowflake is "observed falling the 24 hours of December 25 somewhere in the UK", which has happened 38 times in the last 54 years.

But a full covering of snow on the ground is looking much less possible, given this has only happened four times in the last 51 years.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in