Will there be a white Christmas this year? Latest snow reports for Great Britain
Whether you’re organizing a big celebration or something quieter, we always seem to have one question on our minds – are we getting a white Christmas this year?
For decades, people have been obsessed with white Christmases, spurred on by idealized depictions of the holiday season.
Talk of a white Christmas has been in the air lately following news that Britain may be bracing for a possible return of the infamous ‘Beast from the East’.
But before you waste all of Christmas Day staring out the window waiting for that one precious snowflake to fall, Metro.co.uk is here to let you know if there will actually be snow this Christmas.
What are the latest UK White Christmas odds?
Bookmakers appear to remain optimistic about the odds of a white Christmas this year.
Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati said: “There’s every chance that players dreaming of a white Christmas will get their wish this year if the latest odds are in place.”
The company also put the chance of snow falling anywhere in the UK on December 25 at 6/4.
What are the latest White Christmas odds?
Their latest odds are as follows:
- Aberdeen – 4/1
- Edinburgh – 4/1
- newcastle – 9/2
- Belfast – 5/1
- cardiff – 5/1
- Dublin – 5/1
- Birmingham – 6/1
- Liverpool – 6/1
- Manchester – 6/1
- London – 8/1
How likely is a white Christmas?
The Met Office can accurately predict up to five days in advance whether snow is likely on any given Christmas Day.
Their latest long-term forecast (for December 13-27) currently says: “Confidence remains low for this period. Calmer conditions are expected with the potential for higher pressures over the UK resulting in drier weather.
“While temperatures overall can be close to normal on average, colder conditions are possible at times with a higher than normal risk of night frost and fog.”
In around half of the years since 1960, at least 5% of the location network has had snow on Christmas Day.
Widespread snow cover is much less common – in the last 51 years, widespread snow cover on the ground has only been recorded four times in the UK at 40% of weather stations: 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.
What is a white Christmas?
When most people think of a white Christmas, they imagine miles of snow-covered slopes.
In fact, according to the Met Office, Christmas can be white if at least a single snowflake falls in a specific location during the 24 hours of Christmas Day.
How will we know if it’s a white Christmas?
Traditionally, the Met Office used its building in London to decide if it had been a white Christmas.
However, as betting increased, several other locations were added to the list. These include:
- Buckingham Palace
- Belfast (Aldergrove Airport)
- Aberdeen (Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen FC)
- Edinburgh Castle),
- Coronation Street in Manchester
- The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
When was the last white Christmas in Britain?
Technically, 2021 was the last white Christmas in the UK, with 6% of stations registering snowfall but less than 1% of stations reporting snow on the ground
The last widespread White Christmas in the UK was in 2010 when 83% of weather stations registered snow on the ground.
Perthshire, Scotland had 47 cm of snow on 25 December 1981, the deepest figure ever recorded, while Gainford, Durham had the coldest Christmas Day of 1878 at -18.3 °C.
The UK has an average of 3.9 days of snow and sleet in December, according to the Met Office – although snowfall is much more likely after the bank holidays, averaging 5.3 days in January.
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/30/will-we-have-a-white-christmas-this-year-latest-snow-odds-for-the-uk-17845955/ Will there be a white Christmas this year? Latest snow reports for Great Britain