Snow weather forecast: Will it be a white Christmas? Met Office shares latest long range weather update
The Met Office has shared its most recent long range weather forecast which stretches until after Christmas.
Forecasting snow in the UK is notoriously difficult, and it is still too early to know for certain whether we will see a white Christmas in 2025. The festive forecast usually becomes much clearer about five days before Christmas.
In its long range forecast, however, the Met Office does not mention snow. From Friday 19 December to Sunday 28 December it says: “Showers or longer spells of rain are likely to continue at first for many parts of the country, perhaps heavy at times, but gradually over the weekend the weather is expected to become more settled.
“Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to see this change first, with spells of rain perhaps slower to clear further across the south. Into the following week, high pressure is expected to become more widely established. Winds will be light and clearer skies are likely, however this does not rule out the odd shower, especially around coasts. High pressure and settled weather will result in temperatures falling to closer to average, with overnight frosts and morning fog which could be slow to clear.”
There are opposing forecasts as BirminghamLive reports that according to new charts WX Charts, which uses Met Desk data, snow could fall across England, Scotland and Wales this weekend as the mercury plummets to below zero. The model has predicted bands of rain moving south across the UK on Sunday, December 21, with colder air in place, allowing some of that drizzle to turn to snow.
South West England, including the Cotswolds, as well as parts of the Midlands, look at risk. But, at the moment, the Met Office does not mention snowfall.
The last time the UK saw a widespread white Christmas was back in 2010, when snow fell at 19% of weather stations and, very unusually, 83% of stations reported snow lying on the ground.