23 December 2023 , 10:22
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As sub-zero temperatures and snowfall see parts of the UK grind to a halt, those dreaming of a white Christmas may be wondering if 2023 might finally be the year for it.
The Met Office defines a white Christmas as "one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK". That's hardly a high threshold, but the last widespread white Christmas in the UK was still a long time ago in 2010 – when there was snow on the ground at 83% of stations, the highest percentage ever recorded.
And there has only been a proper covering of snow on the ground (where more than 40% of stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 9am) four times since 1960 – in 1981, 1995, 2009, and 2010.
The Met Office's long range forecast has all but ruled out a white Christmas for London, though other parts of the UK, particularly those up north, shouldn't give up hope just yet.
Milder conditions are expected to arrive toward the end of the first week of December, and temperatures between 18 December and 1 January are "likely to be near or above average" – but "colder interludes" and snow remain a possibility.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
A number of gambling firms have shortened their odds for a white Christmas this year. Edinburgh is the current favourite city to have a white Christmas, with odds of 4/6, followed by Newcastle at 10/11.
According to a study by the UK's leading cottage agency Sykes Holiday Cottages, the Cairngorms National Park in the Grampian Mountains and Copley in County Durham are among the locations most likely to see snowfall.
Meanwhile, those looking to escape the cold should consider a trip to Bude in Cornwall or Slapton in Devon, where snowfall is looking particularly unlikely.