News Beat
Met Office confirms ‘chance’ of snow in UK on Christmas Day
Most areas can expect a colder-than-normal Christmas Day in 2025, according to the forecast, with average temperatures not expected to climb above 7°C.
As the weather turns colder and drier, Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said some areas may even see snow.
This would mark the first white Christmas in two years.
Which parts of the UK can expect snow on Christmas Day?
While most people will experience chilly conditions on Christmas Day, it will be those in the far south of England that will have the greatest chance of seeing snow.
Mr Petagna said: “By Christmas Day, (temperatures will be) no better than 5 to 7°C across the UK, so quite a drop from what we’ve seen of late, and feeling cold in that wind, as well.
“On Christmas Day, we need to keep an eye on the far south of the UK, particularly the south coast of England. There’s just a chance we could see one or two wintry flurries developing.
“There’s only a 10% chance of anything significant developing there, but all we need, of course, is for a flake of snow to fall anywhere across the UK for it to technically be termed a ‘white Christmas’, so something to keep an eye on across the far south of England.”
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The UK’s last white Christmas, declared in 2023, saw 11% of weather stations record snow falling, but not settling.
Mr Petagna said the UK has seen warmer Christmases for the past few years, with temperatures above average.
The last “very cold” Christmas, he said, was in 2010, when the last widespread white Christmas was declared, with 83% of weather stations recording snow on the ground.
We remember it well! ❄️ https://t.co/NlB0PPoB6B
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 20, 2025
Any snow this Christmas unlikely to settle
Similar ‘Christmas card’ scenes are unlikely in 2025, with the Met Office predicting that any snow is unlikely to settle.
Mr Petagna added: “In terms of the showers that we’re looking at, there’s a chance of a bit of sleet or wet snow falling, rather than any significant accumulations.”
“For most, (there will be) a lot of dry, chilly weather around, with the best of the brightness towards the west and the north west,” he added.
The lowest temperature recorded on Christmas Day in the UK was in Gainford, Durham, back in 1878, which recorded a low of minus 18.3C.
With temperatures likely to drop over the Christmas period, it’s got us thinking, what is the record for the lowest Christmas Day minimum temperature across the UK? 🥶
The answer will be revealed this afternoon 🎄
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 21, 2025
What is a White Christmas?
The Met Office says that a ‘white Christmas’ is when a single snowflake has been observed falling anywhere in the UK, in the 24 hours of December 25.
The forecasters 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.
“We also analyse the data from our observing stations around the UK to provide a complete picture of where snow has fallen or was lying on Christmas Day.”
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When was the last white Christmas in the UK?
The last white Christmas in the UK was 2023, according to the Met Office, with 11% of stations recording snow falling.
Despite this, none of the stations actually reported any snow lying on the ground.
The Met Office added: “Before that, 2022 saw 9% of weather stations recording falling snow, but none with any snow settling.
“2021 and 2020 were also technically white Christmases, both with 6% of weather stations recording snow falling, but in these years, less than 1% of stations reported any snow lying on the ground in 2021 and only 4% in 2020.”
