As Christmas 2025 approaches, the age-old question returns: Will the UK wake up to a white Christmas? For many, the image of snow-dusted rooftops and children racing outside to build snowmen is as much a part of the holiday as mince pies and turkey. But this year, forecasters are dashing those dreams for most of the country, predicting a holiday that’s more likely to be cold and crisp than blanketed in white.
According to the Met Office, December 25 is expected to bring a significant drop in temperatures, with daytime lows potentially reaching as chilly as 2°C in some areas. While that might sound promising for snow enthusiasts, the experts caution that the odds of significant snowfall are slim. Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen explained, “There’s a small chance of light showers, which, if they occur, will be a mix of rain, sleet and some snow over higher ground. The chance is relatively low as it stands, and there are no strong signals for significant or widespread snowfall.”
This sentiment is echoed by other Met Office meteorologists. Jason Kelly added, “After a spell of unsettled and wet weather, we’re expecting a gradual shift to more settled conditions as high pressure builds into next week. This will bring drier and colder weather for many over the Christmas period, with the risk of overnight frost and fog where skies clear.” He emphasized that while some showers are possible, especially in eastern and southern areas, these are “perhaps wintry over higher ground,” and “there are currently no strong signals for significant or widespread snowfall.”
For those keeping a close eye on the forecast, the week leading up to Christmas will see temperatures start off mild—around 10°C on Monday—before dropping to 8°C on Tuesday, then falling further to about 5°C on Christmas Eve and reaching 3°C on Christmas Day. In Glasgow, for instance, highs are expected to only reach 4°C, but with wind chills, it could feel closer to 1°C. Tom Crabtree, Deputy Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, noted, “High pressure is expected to build into next week, bringing drier and less mild conditions for the Christmas period. Although temperatures will drop, they are not plummeting. Overnight frosts are likely, and some mist and fog are possible in places, but significant cold weather looks less probable.”
So, what does this mean for those hoping for a classic, snow-covered Christmas scene? The technical definition of a white Christmas in the UK is surprisingly modest: the Met Office only requires a single snowflake to be observed falling anywhere in the country during the 24 hours of December 25. This means that even a fleeting flake in London or a brief sleet shower in the Scottish Highlands could, in official terms, make it a white Christmas. But as Jim Dale of British Weather Services told Metro, “If there is any, you’re not looking at anything that will cover the ground – it could be a sleet flake or a snowflake here or there. But look: it’s a flake. You might not spot it, or it could just arrive in the wind.”
Historically, truly snowy Christmas Days are rare in the UK. Since 1960, about half of the years have seen at least 5% of weather stations record snowfall on Christmas Day, but widespread snow cover is much less common. Only four years—1981, 1995, 2009, and 2010—have seen more than 40% of stations report snow on the ground. The last memorable white Christmas was in 2010, when 83% of stations reported snow lying on the ground, making it the snowiest Christmas on record. That year, snow and sleet fell at 19% of stations, and the wintry conditions led to travel chaos, with airports, trains, and roads severely disrupted. Over two feet of snow were recorded in the South Downs, and drifts over 20 feet deep were reported in Yorkshire.
More recently, the UK experienced a “technical” white Christmas in 2023, with 11% of weather stations recording snow falling, though none reported it settling. In northern Lincolnshire, the last white Christmas that met the official definition was in 2020, but only a few flakes fell early in the morning and quickly melted. As the Met Office points out, “A ‘Dickensian scene’ of widespread snow lying on the ground around the UK is pretty rare.”
This year, high pressure is expected to bring drier, more settled weather across much of the UK, but also a bitingly cold wind. Anyone planning a post-turkey walk is advised to bundle up. Forecaster Jim Dale warned, “The week will turn ‘significantly’ colder, but there will be a ‘massive lack’ of snow.” If any wintry flurries do occur, they’re most likely in the eastern counties, including London, or along the south coast of England, where there’s a 10% chance of a flurry or two. But, as Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna put it, “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.”
Scotland, which has endured a wet and wild December, is also unlikely to see snow on Christmas Day. The forecast for Glasgow is for a dry, crisp day with spells of sunshine—“a proper winter’s morning,” as local reports put it. In northern Lincolnshire, the outlook is for a mostly cloudy Christmas week with occasional bright spells and highs around 7°C, falling to 3 or 4°C overnight. Foggy patches may develop, and the rest of the festive week will see highs between 7 and 10°C, with overnight lows between 3 and 6°C.
While the UK braces for a chilly, mostly snow-free Christmas, the weather story is very different across the Atlantic. According to Metro, some parts of the United States, such as Houston, Texas, could see record-breaking warmth, with temperatures reaching 27°C—about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. Even traditionally snowy capitals like Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki are unlikely to see snow on the big day, while central European cities such as Zurich, Bratislava, and Vienna have a better chance of experiencing festive flurries.
Climate change is also playing its part, with higher average temperatures making white Christmases less likely in the UK. The Met Office notes that snow is now more common in January and February than in December, with snow settling on the ground for an average of three days in December, compared to slightly more in the months that follow.
For those still hoping for a festive dusting, the advice from forecasters is clear: keep an eye on the latest updates, but don’t hold your breath for a picture-perfect white Christmas. Instead, perhaps settle for a sprinkle of icing sugar on your Christmas cake—and a warm coat for that bracing holiday stroll.
