Is the UK in for a white Christmas?

Areas north of Wales will more likely see snow

Some Northern parts of the UK may see snow on the 25th (AFP via Getty Images)

The weather has turned colder and it’s thought that parts of the UK could even be in for a white Christmas this year.

According to the Met Office, some northern parts of the UK could see snow on Christmas Day, while other parts of the country will likely be cold and bright.

Unsettled weather in the lead-up to Christmas should give way to colder, clearer conditions on 25 December said the forecasters.

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: "We could see some snow showers over the hills in northern parts of the UK – it’s probably the most likely place to see any snow. You couldn’t rule out some sleety snow further south than that, but there’s a really big question mark on it.”

According to Ms Shuttleworth, the areas most likely to experience snow on Christmas Day are the Midlands, northern England and Scotland.

She added that there could be some snow in the days leading up to Christmas, adding: “It is likely to be over high ground and, if anything did fall at lower levels, we anticipate that to largely be quite sleety and to not last very long.”

A white Christmas, as defined by the Met Office, is for “one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK.”

The last widespread white Christmas was recorded in 2010 when, according to the Met Office, “there [was] snow on the ground at 83 per cent of [weather] stations.”

According to the bookmaker Coral, the odds for a white Christmas this year have been slashed for all major UK cities. Edinburgh is currently topping the betting for the most likely UK city to see snow, with Newcastle coming just behind.

The week ahead is likely to start cold and clear, with Ms Shuttleworth suggesting that Tuesday could be frosty, bright and sunny and is “likely to be the best day of the week”.

The weather looks set to turn on Wednesday, with clouds and rain or snow predicted for much of the country.

A lot of uncertainty remains in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, although there is likely to be a contrast in conditions experienced by the north and the south, the Met Office said.

Anywhere south of Wales looks likely to see milder temperatures, cloud and rain, while anywhere north of Wales may have colder and brighter weather, with a higher chance of snow.

Ms Shuttleworth said: “It’s that boundary between the cold and the warm air which is where the uncertainty is, and that’s where the greatest risk of seeing any snow or sleet is.”