The Met Office’s long-range predictions now cover the festive period, meaning we have a better understanding of what weather to expect.
A white Christmas could be on the cards this year for some in the UK after meteorologists predicted there would be snow between Christmas Eve and January 7.
According to the latest predictions, the country may experience sleet, but snow is “likely at times” on higher ground in the north of the country.
Another weather chart has similarly suggested that parts of Scotland may receive a dusting of snow on December 25, but the rest of the country won’t be as lucky.
Current predictions suggest London may miss out on snowy scenes over Christmas, with forecasters predicting possible “settled conditions” across the south in late December.
“Mainly unsettled conditions appear likely for most, with spells of wind and rain followed by showers affecting most areas but especially towards the northwest of the UK,” the forecast states.
“Some sleet and snow is also likely at times, especially on high ground in the north. However, there are also some signs that more settled conditions are possible at times, these perhaps most likely across the south late in December or into early January.
“Temperatures are likely to be around or slightly above average overall, but with any more settled interludes bringing a risk of frost and fog.”
Though the idea of a blanket of snow across London doesn’t sound too realistic at the moment, long-range forecasts aren’t that detailed “as the story is always changing.”
According to the weather experts, the possibility of a White Christmas will only become much more apparent up to five days before December 25, so at this point it’s hard to tell what we’ll be waking up to on Christmas Day.
But even if the Met Office does predict a ‘White Christmas,’ this information comes with a caveat. That’s because if a single snowflake falls in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK, meteorologists consider this a white Christmas.
This measure means more than half of all Christmas Days are recorded as being a White Christmas,
Since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5% of the Met Office’s network record snow falling on Christmas Day.
But forecasters say this does not mean scenes of blankets of snow, which are rarer.
There has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground four times since 1960 - in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010, the Met Office website states.
This is partly because of climate change, and also because the UK is more likely to see heavier snowfall in January and February than in December.
2023 was the last white Christmas in the UK with 11% of the Met Office’s stations recording snow falling, although none reported any snow lying on the ground.
The forecast comes amid a spate of storms for the UK, with many parts of the country hard hit by Storm Darragh.
Around 24,000 homes were still without power on Tuesday, although they were expected to be reconnected to the grid by Wednesday.
