6 days Ago
Temperatures have begun to take a turn and snow has already fallen in parts of the country, with the Met Office forecasting as much as 20cm of snow for some areas. But will we get snow on the big day? The Met Office can accurately forecast if snow is likely on any given Christmas Day up to five days beforehand. But that doesn't mean we can't take a look at the odds for a White Christmas in 2024.
According to the latest odds from Betway, Scotland is the region most likely to experience snow on Christmas Day 2024, with odds of 1/3. This comes a year after parts of the country, including the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, experienced light snowfall in 2023, offering just a trace of a white Christmas. Historically, the region also boasts the record for the deepest snow ever recorded on Christmas Day, with Kindrogan in Perthshire measuring a staggering 47cm of snow in 1981.
England last experienced a widespread snowy Christmas in 2010, but those dreaming of a repeat this year might be disappointed. The odds of a snowy Christmas in England currently stand at 9/4, translating to a 31% chance. Northern Ireland’s chances of seeing a big freeze on December 25 are slightly lower, with a 25% probability and odds of 3/1, while Wales lags further behind with just a 22% chance (7/2 odds).
Betway spokesperson Mike Reading commented: “Parts of Scotland experienced a white Christmas in 2023, and if our latest odds are anything to go by, we could see a repeat this year. Currently, there’s a 1/3 chance of snow falling anywhere north of the border during the festive period. “Meanwhile, England remains second in the market at 9/4, though snow is less likely here.
But with UK weather so unpredictable, who knows what surprises might be in store this Christmas?” The definition that the Met Office uses to define a white Christmas is for one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK. The forecasters explained: "Traditionally we used to use a single location in the country to define a white Christmas, which was the Met Office building in London. "However, with the increase in betting on where will see a white Christmas, the number of locations have increased and can now include sites such as Buckingham Palace, Belfast (Aldergrove Airport), Aberdeen (Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen FC), Edinburgh (Castle), Coronation Street in Manchester and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
"We also analyse the data from our observing stations around the UK to provide a complete picture of where snow has fallen or was lying on Christmas Day." The Met Office said: "Technically, 2023 was the last white Christmas in the UK with 11% of stations recording snow falling, although none reported any snow lying on the ground. "Before that, 2022 saw 9% of weather stations recording falling snow, but none with any snow settling.
2021 and 2020 were also technically white Christmases, both with 6% of weather stations recording snow falling, but in these years, less than 1% of stations reported any snow lying on the ground in 2021 and only 4% in 2020.".
