Will it be a white Christmas in Harrogate this year? Here are the odds of snow this festive season

What is a white Christmas?

The definition that the Met Office uses to define a white Christmas is for one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK.

Traditionally they 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.

Work continues across the Harrogate district to support residents following Storm Arwen

When was the last white Christmas?

The last official white Christmas came in 2010 when widespread snowfall was witnessed across the country.

How likely is it that Harrogate will get a white Christmas this year?

The odds of the United Kingdom seeing a white Christmas on December 25 are at their lowest since 2017.

However, according to the website willigetawhitechristmas.com, there is a 25% chance that Harrogate will see snow on Christmas Day.

The Met Office is yet to say which cities may see a white Christmas this year, stating that they can only accurately forecast snow up to five days beforehand.

They have also stated that for most parts of the United Kingdom, Christmas is only at the beginning of the period when it’s likely to snow and we are more likely to see snow between January and March than in December.

Climate change has also brought higher average temperatures and this has generally reduced the chances of a white Christmas.

Your pictures of the Storm Arwen aftermath after fierce weather hits Harrogate with snow and high winds