While persistent rain may indicate that Christmas this year will be a wash, experts say a winter snap is on its way and it could be a white Christmas in some areas of the UK.
According to the Met Office, high pressure is building, meaning that while some areas may see showers, many will have drier and more stable weather.
The UK National Met Office added that a strong easterly breeze will make the weather even colder – although it is not unusual for this time of year, with temperatures on Christmas Day expected to reach daytime highs of 7°C and nighttime lows of -3°C or -4°C. As a result, Father Christmas may be accompanied by Jack Frost.
Probably the southern coast of England heading towards southern Devon and Cornwall [has] Greatest chance of seeing a freak winter wave if there is one [any]Marco Petagna of the Met Office told the Guardian: “Of course, for a white Christmas, all we need now is technically a single snowfall anywhere in the UK. This is not unusual;
According to the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) A snowflake has fallen from the sky on Christmas Day 54 times over the past 66 years at least somewhere in the UK, and with the exception of 2024, every year since 2020 has been technically considered ‘white’.
In 2023, 11% of weather stations recorded snowfall on Christmas Day, and 9% in 2022, although stable snow was not recorded in either year. In fact, as RMetS points out, it has only snowed on the ground at Christmas four times since 1960 – in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010 – and in 2010 it snowed on the ground at 83% of stations, the highest percentage ever recorded.
But anyone expecting festive snowball fights is likely to be disappointed this year. “The chance of significant snowfall is only about 10%, so nothing significant,” Petagna said.
And it wasn’t always like this: Little Ice Age This means that between the 16th and 19th centuries, it was more common to have harsh winters – which may explain why the writings of Charles Dickens, who was born in 1812, often refer to a cold and snowy Christmas. In addition, before 1752 when the switch to the Gregorian calendar was completed in Britain, December 25 fell later in the winter.
More recently, particularly harsh winters have included the winters of 1946-1947 and 1962-1963. “A large part of England remained covered with snow every day from late December until early March 1963,” Met Office He noticed.
The scarcity of festive snow cover today is perhaps not surprising, given the climate crisis. December in the UK has become warmer in recent decades, and snowfall on Christmas Day has become less likely on average, Met Office data has revealed.
But just because a snowy Christmas is unlikely this year, that doesn’t mean snowballs are a thing of the past: Meteorological Office It is noted that most snow days in the UK occur between January and March.
As the poet Sarah Coleridge said: “January brings snow, and makes our feet and toes glow.”