White Christmas on the cards as Met Office says chance of snowfall in UK

22 December 2021, 20:23

The UK could experience a White Christmas this year as the Met Office has confirmed there is chance of snowfall on December 25.

A White Christmas is recorded by the Met Office when at least one snowflake falls in the 24 hours of Christmas Day, somewhere in the UK.

The Met Office said specific locations for snow are still unclear as the boundary between where cold and milder air will be - and therefore which areas might see snow - is still uncertain.

However, it said any snow that does fall on December 25 will come on higher ground in northern England such as the Pennines, or Scotland.

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The average temperature for the end of December for the entire UK is 7C, although it is lower in Scotland at 5C.

Temperatures in London will drop to an average of 10C over the Christmas weekend, with an average of 5C in Glasgow - which will see possible lows of 3C.

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Northern England will also be mild, with average temperatures of 5C-6C in Manchester and Leeds, and a chance of rain.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "What's happening now is we've got some warmer air coming in from the south-west, but we've still got this cold pool of air over the north and over Scotland.

"Because the high pressure has moved out of the way, it allows these systems to move in from the south-west so we are going to see bands of weather fronts bringing some rain.

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"For much of the country it looks like Christmas Day will see some rain showers, and some heavier bursts mixed in, but overall a mild showery day."

There is a risk of fog across southern parts of England and Wales on Christmas Eve which could affect travel, but this will be clear by Christmas Day.

On average, just over half of all Christmas Days in the UK turn out to be defined as a White Christmas.