Will it snow on Christmas Day? Met office outlook points to colder trend

While it’s still too early for a definitive forecast, early indicators suggest that there’s a potential chance of some festive snowfall this year, more so than in recent years.

As per the Met Office’s official description, a “White Christmas” requires just one snowflake to be observed falling on December 25 at one of their weather stations.

By this measure, a white December is not as rare as people think. However, widespread snow on the ground is much less common.

As per the meteorologists, the recent observations are:

• Forecasting models are hinting at a trend towards colder and calmer conditions developing around Christmas. This is a critical ingredient for snow, unlike the mild, wet weather that usually dominates UK December.
• Two global weather patterns are being watched. One is a “warm blob” in the pacific ocean which could encourage high pressure and colder air over Europe. The other is developing “La Niña event” which historically elevates high pressure in the Atlantic early winter, increasing the chance of colder weather at the start of December.
• A reliable forecast for Christmas Day will be possible about five days in advance. The UK’s weather is highly variable and these promising signals could change.

For now, it remains a hopeful possibility rather than a prediction.