A white Christmas is odds-on to happen, bookies say as Met Office releases long-range forecast for festive period
The UK is now ready for a white Christmas, punters claimed today as the Met Office released its first long-term outlook for the festive period.
Coral reduces its chances to 4/6 when it snows anywhere in England, while William Hill now offers doubles. Snow in London is currently rated at 4/1 and 6/1 respectively.
The possibilities were announced when the Meteorological Office, which has not yet made its own decision about snow, said that conditions could be ‘unstable’ towards the end of December.
Meteorologists added that the wettest and windiest weather is likely to be experienced in the North West of the UK, while drier and calmer periods are possible in the South East of England.
Temperatures were set at ‘above overall average’. The average maximum temperature for December in the UK is 7C (45F), 8C (46F) in England and 9C (48F) in London.
BBC weather presenter Sarah Keith-Lucas said snow forecasting in the UK was ‘very difficult’, adding: ‘The chances of festive snowfall vary greatly in different places; There are much better chances the further north and higher you go.
‘The places most likely to have a white Christmas Day are northern and eastern Scotland, northern England, North Wales and the North West Midlands.’
Coral said he had cut his odds on a white Christmas elsewhere in England from 2/1 to 4/6 and priced Glasgow at evens, followed by Edinburgh at 5/4 and Newcastle at 7/4. The firm has Manchester and Belfast both at 2/1, Birmingham at 5/2 and London at 4/1.
Leadhills in South Lanarkshire on Boxing Day 2022 when a snow and ice warning was issued
A woman walks her dog through the snow in Castleside, County Durham, on Boxing Day 2021
Coral spokesman John Hill told the Daily Mail: ‘Those dreaming of a White Christmas this year may get their wish. ‘We have discounted the chances of snow on Christmas Day and bets suggest it is more than 50 per cent.’
William Hill said Aberdeen was the UK city equally likely to see snow on Christmas Day, with Newcastle leading the UK cities at 6/4.
Glasgow and Edinburgh are both priced at 5/4, while Belfast is 2/1 and Leeds is 5/2 (same price as New York City) and London is given an outside chance of 6/1.
William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said: ‘Christmas Day is less than a month away and we’re gearing up for December 25 with some seasonal specials.’
The Met Office will not be issuing any official forecasts for a white Christmas this far in advance, instead saying that meteorologists ‘will be able to accurately predict up to five days in advance whether there is a chance of snow on any given Christmas Day’.
The national weather service’s long-range outlook for December 12 to 26 does not mention snow, instead saying: ‘Generally unstable conditions appear likely to persist throughout this period.
‘It looks likely that rainy and windy weather will increase further, perhaps with more focus on the North West of the country.
‘Drier, more settled periods are possible, especially in the Southeast. Temperatures will likely be above average.’
Forecasters actually say there’s a higher chance of snow in January and February than in December.
Met Office data covering the period from 1991 to 2020 shows snow fell on the ground for an average of three days in December, compared with 3.3 days in January, 3.4 days in February and 1.9 days in March.
The Met Office may declare an official ‘white Christmas’ when a single snowflake is observed to fall during the 24 hours of 25 December by an official Met Office observer or Met Office automatic weather station.
Snow covered houses in the Northumberland town of Hexham on Christmas Day 2020
Snow-covered fields near Cheltenham seen from Queens Wood on Boxing Day 2010
Since 2020, it has been officially celebrated as a white Christmas every year except 2024; However, very few places are reported to have snowed in these years.
And since 1960, snow has fallen at least 5 percent of the Christmas Day network record for about half the year.
But only four times since 1960 has there been extensive snow cover on the ground; More than 40 per cent of stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 9am.
Those years were 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.
83 percent of the stations had snow (the highest amount ever recorded), while 19 percent of the stations had snow or sleet.
Meanwhile, unstable weather is expected in the UK this weekend, with low pressures approaching from the Atlantic, heavy rain and strong winds.
The Met Office has issued an 18-hour yellow rain warning covering most of England and Wales, including London, between 6am and midnight tomorrow.
Forecasters said up to 80mm (3in) could fall from high ground within the warning area, with a ‘fairly large’ potential for falls of up to 30mm (1in) elsewhere.
Homes and businesses can be flooded, communities can be cut off by flooded roads, and power outages can also occur.
Meteorology has issued an 18-hour rain warning from 6 am to midnight tomorrow.
Heavy rain may be accompanied by strong winds tomorrow night, especially across eastern England.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: ‘Confidence is high that the weekend will be unstable, but there is some uncertainty about the exact path of the low pressure system.
‘Small changes in its path can significantly affect where the heaviest rain and strongest winds occur. This means that while some areas may experience devastating conditions, others may experience much less severe impacts.’
A yellow wind warning remains in force for parts of western and northern Scotland until 11am this morning, with winds expected to reach 75mph in isolated spots.
After the weekend system clears up, the weather is expected to calm down late Sunday, followed by more rainy and windy weather on Monday; There are further rain warnings for southern England. Conditions will remain variable into next week.
