Britain could be in for its third white Christmas in the past decade next week after the odds were cut to just 1/4.
The UK has not seen snow fall on Christmas Day since 2015 when it was observed at a tenth of weather stations, which itself was five years after widespread flurries fell in 2010 during the coldest December for a century.
Many parts of the UK have already seen snow at the start of this month amid widespread sub-zero temperatures, and now there are hopes that it could return with cold air set to push south towards the UK by Boxing Day.
Betting companies say it is now odds-on that snow will fall somewhere in the UK on December 25 this year, while they are also offering 4/5 that this month enters the record books as the coldest December ever.
The Met Office has said in its medium-range forecast that ‘there remains a chance of snow temporarily to low levels’ towards the end of the month, amid expectations that it is most likely to fall on higher ground in the north.
A dog walker negotiates heavy overnight snow at Carrshield in the Pennines in Northumberland on December 4, 2020
A Met Office spokesman told the Sun: ‘It doesn’t look like it will be widespread. But we can’t rule out a few places seeing some flakes of snow around Christmas. The forecast is showing more settled, but colder conditions.
‘If any showers come in off the back of those then there’s a chance we could see some wintry showers. It’s too early to say for sure for Christmas Day but at the moment there is a trend towards colder conditions.’
Laura Tobin, weather presenter for ITV’s Good Morning Britain, added: ‘It doesn’t look like widespread snow but it looks set to turn colder by Christmas with (a) chance of snow over high ground in Scotland.’
And the BBC Weather monthly outlook said: ‘Some recent forecast computer models suggest cold air could push south towards the UK by December 26 and 27, but the signal is still not conclusive.
‘Widespread UK snowfall seems very unlikely on Christmas Day itself, but some higher areas in the northern half of the UK have a slight chance.’
Ladbrokes is offering 1/4 for snow to fall in the UK on Christmas Day. A spokesman said: ‘Punters are dreaming of a White Christmas and that may well be the case as the odds continue to tumble with the temperatures.’
Dog walkers enjoy the beautiful sunrise on Blyth Beach in Northumberland this morning with just 11 days until Christmas
Beautiful skies as the sun rises at Blyth Beach in Northumberland this morning at the start of the week
Meanwhile Coral has issued odds of 1/2 for snow in any major city in the UK on Christmas Day, with Edinburgh priced at 3/1, Manchester at 4/1 and London at 5/1. It is also offering 4-5 for December to be a record cold month.
A Coral spokesman said: ‘2020 has been a miserable year, but for many, waking up to snow on Christmas Day would give them something to smile about as the year draws to an end.
‘The downside to a White Christmas is that we are on course for the coldest December on record, while we may even have one of the chilliest winters of all time.’
Today will be mostly dry with sunny spells across England, while there will be more cloud in northern and western areas with rain in Scotland and showers in Wales, North West and South West England which may be heavy.
Showers are expected continue tonight across the south coast, South West England, North West England, Wales and western Scotland through the night, but these should be lighter and well scattered.
Tomorrow, any early mist will clear and it will be largely dry and bright with sunny spells across England. However there will be patchy cloud and showers, most frequent in the west and south and mainly along coastal areas.
Snow covers the Black Mountains on Christmas Day in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales on December 25, 2010
It will be overcast with downpours on Wednesday as a band of rain moves eastwards, although the rain will be light when it reaches eastern England by the evening. Thursday will see further showers in parts of the country.
The Met Office’s forecast for December 18 to 27 says: ‘Towards the end of the period, there is a greater chance of more settled conditions, mainly in the north and east, accompanied by increasing incidence of frost and fog.
‘Rain or showers becoming less frequent and tending to become focussed across southern and western parts. Wintriness most likely confined to higher ground, but there remains a chance of snow temporarily to low levels.’
December 2010 was the coldest for Britain since nationwide records began 100 years ago, following anomalously high air pressure that obstructed mild westerly winds and pushed cold air south from the Arctic.
The UK temperature averaged -1C (30F), which was well below the previous coldest December of 1981 which was -0.1C (32F). The December average for the 100-year series at the time was 4.2C (40F).