Will There Be Snow This Christmas?

We all dream of waking up on Christmas morning and gazing out at a blanket of snow. Especially now, as the UK endures the cold gusts of Storm Darragh, this Dickensian scene sounds particularly appealing. But which parts of the UK will see snow this Christmas?

Will The UK Have Snow This Christmas?

The Met Office has released their forecast for the festive period and say that ‘some sleet and snow is also likely at times, especially on high ground in the north’, so anyone in Scotland can prepare their snow shovels. They also say that ‘southern areas have a greater chance of some lengthier drier and perhaps more settled spells’ – welcome news for everyone who has been battling the elements this week.

But don’t put away your umbrella just yet. The Met Office is also predicting ‘unsettled’ conditions for most, with blustery conditions and showers. So maybe a classic wet Christmas is en route.

The BBC says ‘it is far too early to say just yet whether this Christmas will be white’. Long-range models are notoriously unreliable and the coveted snow-covered scene is difficult to predict. This is down to the UK’s location and the fact that small changes in temperature can cause huge shifts in weather conditions.

Located at the intersection of several different weather fronts, the UK experiences a wide range of conditions depending on the wind direction and air pressure. As a result, all Brits should approach snow forecasts with as much cynicism as excitement.

The ability to predict snow depends on multiple factors: where the air has come from, whether there has been heavy precipitation and where warm air meets cold air. The freezing level – which determines if precipitation falls as rain or snow – also changes constantly, making it hard to forecast. Especially when we’re still 15 days away from Christmas.

When Was The Last White Christmas?

The answer to this question depends on your definition of ‘white Christmas’. If the Met Office observe ‘one snowflake falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK’ then it would be declared a white Christmas. According to this definition, last year was (technically) a white Christmas, with 11 percent of Met Office stations recording snow. However, that is not the kind of snow that most of us are hoping for. You’re hardly going to be dusting off your sledge or putting on mittens for a brief flurry.

The last widespread white Christmas was in 2010 when there was snow on the ground at 83 percent of the Met Office stations – the highest amount ever recorded.

While we’re unlikely to see those figures again, there’s always hope for a festive flurry. So whether you’re preparing for rain, sleet or snow this Christmas, you can enjoy the magic of Christmas regardless of what is falling from the sky.