Britain is now odds-on for a white Christmas, bookmakers claimed today as the Met Office revealed its first long-range outlook for the festive period.
Coral has cut its odds to 4/6 on snow falling anywhere in the UK, while William Hill is now offering evens. Snow in London is currently rated at 4/1 and 6/1 respectively.
The odds were released as the Met Office – which has not yet given its own verdict on snow – said conditions are likely to be ‘unsettled’ towards the end of December.
Meteorologists added that the wettest and windiest weather is likely in the North West of the UK, while drier and calmer periods are possible in South East England.
Temperatures are set to be ‘above average overall’. The UK’s average maximum for December is 7C (45F), while it is 8C (46F) in England and 9C (48F) in London.
BBC weather presenter Sarah Keith-Lucas said forecasting snow in the UK is ‘notoriously difficult’, adding: ‘The chances of festive snowfall vary a lot in different locations, with much better odds the further north and the higher up you venture.
‘The places most likely to get a white Christmas Day are northern and eastern Scotland, northern England, North Wales and the North West Midlands.’
Coral said it had cut its odds from 2/1 to 4/6 on a white Christmas anywhere in the UK, pricing Glasgow at evens followed by Edinburgh at 5/4 and Newcastle at 7/4. The firm has Manchester and Belfast both at 2/1, Birmingham at 5/2 and London at 4/1.
Coral spokesman John Hill told the Daily Mail: ‘Those dreaming of a White Christmas this year may just get their wish. We have slashed the odds on snow falling on Christmas Day, with the betting suggesting there is more than a 50 per cent chance.’
William Hill said Aberdeen is the likeliest UK city to see snow on Christmas Day at odds of evens, while Newcastle at 6/4 leads the way for cities in England.
Glasgow and Edinburgh are both priced at 5/4, while Belfast is 2/1 and Leeds is 5/2 – the same price as New York City – with London given an outside chance at 6/1.
William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said: ‘It is now less than one month until Christmas Day and we’re gearing up for December 25 with some seasonal specials.’
The Met Office will not issue any official forecast on a white Christmas this far in advance, instead saying that meteorologists can ‘accurately forecast if snow is likely on any given Christmas Day up to five days beforehand’.
The national weather service’s long-range outlook for December 12 to 26 makes no mention of snow, instead saying: ‘The broadly unsettled conditions look set to continue through this period.
‘Further spells of wet and windy weather seem likely, with perhaps more of a focus towards the North West of the country.
‘Some drier, more settled periods are possible, particularly in the South East. Temperatures will probably be above average overall.’
Forecasters say snow is actually more likely in January and February than December.
Met Office data covering a period between 1991 and 2020 shows snow has settled on the ground for an average of three days in December, compared to 3.3 days in January, 3.4 days in February and 1.9 days in March.
The Met Office can declare an official ‘white Christmas’ when a single snowflake is observed falling on the 24 hours of 25 December, by either an official Met Office observer or by a Met Office automated weather station.
Since 2020, each year except 2024 has officially been a white Christmas – although very few places actually reported snow settling in all of those years.
And since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5 per cent of the network record snow falling on Christmas Day.
But there has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground – where more than 40 per cent of stations in the UK report snow on the ground at 9am – four times since 1960.
Those years were 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.
The latter had snow on the ground at 83 per cent of stations – the highest amount ever recorded – while snow or sleet also fell at 19 per cent of stations.
Meanwhile the UK is set for unsettled weather this weekend as an area of low-pressure approaches from the Atlantic, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
The Met Office has issued an 18-hour yellow warning for rain tomorrow between 6am and midnight, covering much of England and Wales including London.
Forecasters said up to 80mm (3in) could fall over high ground within the warning area – with potential for up to 30mm (1in) to fall ‘fairly widely’ elsewhere.
Homes and businesses could be flooded, communities could become cut off by flooded roads and there is also a chance of power cuts.
Strong winds may accompany the heavy rain, particularly across eastern England tomorrow night.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates, said: ‘Confidence is high that the weekend will be unsettled, but there remains some uncertainty over the exact track of the low-pressure system.
‘Small shifts in its path could significantly affect where the heaviest rain and strongest winds occur. This means that while some areas may experience disruptive conditions, others could see much less severe impacts.’
A yellow wind warning was in force for parts of western and northern Scotland until 11am this morning, with gusts expected to reach 75mph in isolated spots.
After the weekend system clears, settled weather is expected late on Sunday before further wet and windy weather arrives on Monday – with more rain warnings in place for southern England. Conditions will then remain changeable through next week.
