The Met Office has indicated shifting weather patterns that heighten the possibility of cold weather, ice, and snow occurring during the Christmas and New Year period.
Recent cold weather led to significant snowfall, reaching up to 10cm in parts of the UK. This resulted in school closures, power outages, and blocked roads.
Following this, a sudden warming trend caused heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding. However, the Met Office’s long-term forecast suggests a potential return to colder conditions by the end of December.
The forecast from December 20 indicates an unsettled pattern, with intermittent rain bands traversing the UK alongside brighter intervals and showers. The western and northwestern regions are anticipated to experience the heaviest rain and strongest winds.
While the possibility of a colder spell with snow and ice increases later in December and into the New Year, overall conditions are expected to remain predominantly mild and wet.
Snowfall on Christmas Day in the UK has occurred 38 times since 1969, with the most recent instance in 2010. Betting experts at OLBG have analyzed the latest odds and statistics regarding the likelihood of a White Christmas in 2023. They suggest a 40% chance in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with Leeds being the most probable location in England to experience snow.
The odds of snow in Cardiff stand at 8/1 (11%), while Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, and Nottingham have odds of 5/1.
The coldest recorded UK Christmas was in Gainford, Durham, in 1878, registering a temperature of -18.3°C. The three closest cold temperatures on Christmas Day occurred in 2010 across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
The Christmas of 2010 also contributed to two of the top four deepest snow depths recorded on December 25 since records began, with 45cm in Gwynedd, Wales, and 17cm in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Last year technically qualified as a White Christmas in the UK, with snow recorded in five weather stations.
