It’s been almost 15 years since the UK experienced a widespread white Christmas. Despite some predicted snow forecasts, the Met Office has just revealed that this will could be the mildest Christmas day on record.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, a spokesperson for the Met Office shared: “It will be a mild week for much of the UK. Some places could see temperatures up to 6 degrees Celsius above the December average.”
The weather map showed a significant spike in temperatures across this week. BBC Weather has also predicted 11 °C with light rain and a gentle breeze in Bristol on Christmas day. However, parts of England may still be hit by snow on Christmas Day, according to fresh weather maps.
Cities like Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire may see some snow this year. The map from WXCharts suggests snow could blanket the West Midlands, north of Stoke-on-Trent, up through Greater Manchester – so Manchester itself – and the Peak District. Areas in the northwest and northeast between the west coast and Newcastle could also be in line for flurries.
For those holding out hope for a white Christmas, weather experts shared: “For the Met Office to declare a ‘white Christmas’, a single snowflake has to be observed falling on the 24 hours of 25 December, by either an official Met Office observer or by a Met Office automated weather station. This is because it needs to be officially verified both for our climate records, and also to provide consistency and certainty.
“However, for most parts of the United Kingdom, Christmas is only at the beginning of the period when it’s likely to snow. We are more likely to see snow in January and February than in December, with snow actually settling on the ground (snow lying) an average of 3 days in December, compared to 3.3 days in January, 3.4 days in February and 1.9 days in March (1991 – 2020 long-term averaging period).”