How common is a white Christmas where you are?

"According to the Met Office, an "official white Christmas" has happened more often than not since 1960, but new analysis of its data by the BBC shows that locally, snow falling on Christmas Day is rare for most of us. And there have been fewer stations reporting a white Christmas in the past two decades across the UK, according to the data."

"The Met Office officially defines a white Christmas as one where snow is reported to fall at any of its weather stations in the 24 hours of Christmas Day. If there was no snow falling but snow already on the ground, this is not defined as a white Christmas. On this definition, three out of four Christmases since 1960 have seen at least a flake of snow fall somewhere in the UK."

"Ian Currie from London was 12 years old when he was given a weather station for Christmas in 1962. It included a rain gauge, a funnel and a brass container. On Boxing Day, he said it snowed so much, his instruments were buried. "I remember the milk bottles freezing with a column of ice," said Mr Currie, who went on to become a weather forecaster, author and editor"

The Met Office definition of an official white Christmas requires snow to fall at any weather station within the 24 hours of Christmas Day; existing snow on the ground without falling does not qualify. Using that definition, about three in four Christmases since 1960 have recorded at least a flake somewhere in the UK, yet local occurrences remain unusual. Data show fewer stations reporting Christmas Day snowfall in the past two decades, and recent events such as 2023 saw measurable snowfall at only a handful of northern stations. Observation methods and station counts have changed over time, but all recorded instances of snowfall on Christmas Day are included.

Read at www.bbc.com