Will we have a White Christmas in 2021? Latest odds, where is a white Christmas most likely, what is required for a white Christmas and when was the last one

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Snow has been falling in parts of the country over the weekend and December is closing in.

As we turn out thoughts to the festive season, perhaps the only way Christmas could be even more magical would be a dusting of the white stuff!

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But it has been a little while since we last had a White Christmas.

Will there be a White Christmas? Picture: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty ImagesWill there be a White Christmas? Picture: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Will there be a White Christmas? Picture: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010.

On its website the Met Office said: ‘It was extremely unusual, as not only was there snow on the ground at 83 per cent of stations (the highest amount ever recorded) but snow or sleet also fell at 19 per cent of stations.

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‘We also had a white Christmas in 2009, when 13 per cent of stations recorded snow or sleet falling, and 57 per cent reported snow lying on the ground.

‘Technically, 2017 was the last white Christmas in the UK, with 11 per cent of weather stations recording snow falling. However, none reported any snow lying on the ground. This was also the case in 2016, when 6 per cent of stations recorded falling snow, and in 2015, when 10 per cent of stations saw snow.

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‘There was no record of snow falling at any station in the UK in 2018, or in 2019.’

So what are the chances of getting a white Christmas in 2021?

Here’s all you need to know:

What are the latest odds on a white Christmas in the UK?

Paddy Power is currently offering odds of 11/ 4 of a White Christmas at Aberdeen Airport, 3/1 at Edinburgh Airport, 4/1 at Birmingham and Newcastle airports, 9/2 at Belfast airport and 5/1 at London City Airport.

No odds are offered for a white Christmas in Portsmouth.

What is required for a white Christmas?

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The definition that the Met Office uses to define a white Christmas is for one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK.

The Met Office explains: ‘Traditionally we used to use a single location in the country to define a white Christmas, which was the Met Office building in London.

‘However, with the increase in betting on where will see a white Christmas, the number of locations have increased and can now include sites such as Buckingham Palace, Belfast (Aldergrove Airport), Aberdeen (Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen FC), Edinburgh (Castle), Coronation Street in Manchester and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.’

How likely is a white Christmas in 2021?

The Met Office says that it can accurately forecast if snow is likely on any given Christmas Day up to five days beforehand.

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Since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5 per cent of the network record snow falling on Christmas Day.

This means we can probably expect more than half of all Christmas Days to be a 'white Christmas'.

However, the Dickensian scene of widespread snow lying on the ground on Christmas Day is much rarer. There has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground (where more than 40 per cent of stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 9 am) four times since 1960—in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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