New snow maps indicate that 10 English counties could be hit by snow from Christmas Day, according to WXCharts, which uses data from MetDesk. Areas around London, including Kent and Suffolk, may wake up to settled snow on the morning of December 25, while parts of northern England, particularly the Pennines, are also forecast to see snow on Christmas Day.
The following morning, snow is predicted to appear over large parts of South West England between Plymouth and Exeter, while continuing to fall over the Pennines. The Met Office defines a white Christmas as one in which snow falls at any point on December 25, rather than snow merely lying on the ground.
In its long-range forecast for December 21 to December 30, the Met Office says: 'Unsettled conditions are likely to continue at first, with low pressure probably centred somewhere to the southwest of the UK, whilst high pressure tries to nose in from the east across northern areas. This means a broadly easterly flow becoming established, whilst periods of rain or showers becoming increasingly confined to southern or southwestern parts.'
The forecaster adds that high pressure will then become more dominant, bringing drier, more settled weather. From Boxing Day onwards, 'overnight frost and fog or freezing fog could become more widespread,' it says.
While a white Christmas is common in the North West, with nearly 40 per cent of years since 1960 recording snow on December 25, it is rare in the South East. London has only seen five white Christmases since 1960, the last in 2001. A yellow weather warning for fog was in force today until 10am in South East England, the East of England, the East Midlands and South West England, including London, and a yellow warning for rain is also in place in South West England and Wales until the end of the day.
