The Met Office has said that while a full festive blanket of snow remains unlikely, parts of the UK could still see a white Christmas. Forecasters suggest the greatest chance of a wintry flurry lies along the south coast of England, particularly towards South Devon and Cornwall.
High pressure is expected to build, bringing drier and more settled conditions to many areas, although some showers may continue. A strong easterly breeze will make it feel colder, with Christmas Day temperatures expected to reach a daytime high of 7C and drop to between -3C and -4C overnight.
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "The south coast of England down towards South Devon and Cornwall perhaps has the greatest chance of seeing the odd wintry flurry." He noted that technically, a white Christmas only requires a single snowflake to fall anywhere in the UK. According to the Royal Meteorological Society, snow has fallen on Christmas Day in at least one location in the UK in 54 of the past 66 years, and every year since 2020 has been deemed white except 2024.
However, lying snow is far rarer. In 2023, 11% of weather stations recorded snow falling on Christmas Day, and 9% in 2022, but in neither year did it settle. A thick Christmas snow cover has occurred only four times since 1960, with 2010 seeing snow on the ground at 83% of stations – the highest percentage on record. This year, the Met Office puts the chance of noteworthy snowfall at around 10%.
Historically, snowy Christmases were more common, partly because of the Little Ice Age between the 16th and 19th centuries and because, before 1752, 25 December fell later in the winter. Severe winters such as those of 1946-47 and 1962-63, when much of England remained snow-covered from late December until early March, are notable examples. Met Office data shows UK Decembers have become warmer in recent decades, reducing the overall chance of Christmas snow, although natural variability means cold spells can still occur. For those hoping for snowballs, most of the UK's snow days typically arrive between January and March, as Sara Coleridge wrote: "January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow."
