Met Office reveals it likely will be a white Christmas this year - but not as we know it

The Met Office has surprisingly low requirements to discern what can be called a 'white Christmas' as meteorologists give their verdict on snow falling in the UK on Christmas Day

The chances of it being a white Christmas are "technically speaking very high", the Met Office has said.

But those picturing waking up in Bing Crosby's Winter Wonderland will probably be sorely disappointed. The weather service gave their verdict on snow for December 25th, and whether Brits will be greeted with a coating of the white stuff.

It comes amidst mounting speculation once again as the countdown to the big day begins, with forecasts for an icy plume of air sweeping down from the North sparking fresh hopes of snow. Temperatures are reportedly set to plummet as low as -8C in parts of northern Scotland over the coming week and weekend.

Grahame Madge, spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Mirror: "We're still one week away and the broad picture is that there will be colder air coming in from the North. Where the uncertainty plays out is how far south that [cold air] will get. Some models show it coming down as far south as the Midlands."

The bottom line is, the further north and above sea level you are, the more likely you will be to see a magical sprinkling of snow this Christmas, Mr Madge said. "Technically, it's very likely to be a white Christmas. The definition is just one snowflake falling on Christmas Day anywhere in the UK, so that's quite a low bar really. If you were to round up Brits and ask them what they pictured, I imagine most would say it means waking up to a blanket of snow on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, that's not the technical definition and that's not going to be the case for the vast majority."

Mr Madge said that snow in parts of the UK such as the Scottish Highlands and the northern Pennines was far more likely on Christmas Day. The last white Christmas by the Met Office's technical definition in the UK was only 2021. But when it comes to Christmas card-esque weather, Brits haven't seen widespread settled snow on the big day since 2010.

"Are we likely to see snow fall in Central London next Monday? I'd say it's very unlikely," Mr Madge added. Asked about freezing cold temperature predictions, the Met Office has said parts of Scotland and the North could see the mercury dip as low as one or two degrees below freezing overnight later this week.

"Any temperatures lower than that could be possible in extremely remote areas," Mr Madge added. The current general weather forecast for the rest of the week is mild temperatures at the beginning of the week, before getting colder towards the latter half.

Meterologists have also warned about the potential for wintry showers and strong winds later this week as Brits get their last few preparations done, with a warning issued for wind on Thursday. Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “This weekend will be mild across the UK with high pressure in the south maintaining a settled theme. However, a slow-moving front will bring a spell of heavy rain to northwest Scotland.”