It’s December next week, which means you’re almost certainly starting to think seriously about Christmas. It’s time to plan what presents to buy, which festive songs to play and, crucially, figure out how to travel to wherever you need to be in the festive period. For instance, will you need to wrap up warm and navigate snow?
Britain’s weather has recently swung from unseasonably mild to seasonably freezing, and some have forecasted that a ‘Beast from the East’ could arrive in December. When it comes to the end of the month, forecasters are already releasing long-range predictions for what the weather could look like over Christmas and New Year.
Will there be a White Christmas in the UK this year?
If you’re holding out for a snowy Christmas, the stats aren’t in your favour. In the UK, December is actually one of the least snowy winter months – we only get snow settling on the ground for about three days on average. January and February are far better bets, with around 3.3 and 3.4 snowy days respectively, and even around 1.9 days in March.
The last white Christmas in the UK was in 2023, when 11 percent of the Met Office’s weather stations recorded snow falling, but none of it settled. Early forecasts suggest snow is going to be unlikely on December 25.
What does the Met Office forecast say?
From December 10 to December 24, expect things to be pretty unsettled. The middle of the month looks set for the classic British combo of wet and windy weather, especially up in the northwest. The southeast might luck out with a few calmer, drier spells, but overall, it’s looking like a mixed bag.
Towards the end of the month the south could turn wetter while the north sees slightly drier conditions. And in terms of temperature, it’s likely to be milder than average.
What does the BBC’s forecast say?
The BBC will release its full Christmas forecast this coming Friday (Nov 28) but between December 8 and December 21 it says temperatures will be warmer than usual.
While the forecast becomes less certain heading into the second week of December there will be mostly mild temps and scattered showers. Southern and eastern parts of the UK may see slightly drier conditions than the north and west.
Into the third week of December, the BBC says there are some early signs that high pressure could play a bigger role. If that happens, the weather may turn a bit calmer – drier and less windy – but a lot depends on exactly where that area of high pressure ends up sitting, especially when it comes to temperatures.
There’s also a chance of frostier conditions as the month draws on. Current disturbances higher up in the atmosphere could start to influence things. High pressure from Greenland and Iceland could return, which would mean it gets colder.
Of course, this could all change closer to the big day. Watch this space for updates.
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