White Christmas Statistics 2026: 48 Facts on Odds, History and Climate

Everyone dreams of snow on 25 December. Few Britons get it.

The Met Office counts a white Christmas if a single flake falls somewhere. Bookmakers use airports instead. Snow actually lying on the ground is far rarer.

This page collects the key numbers: the official definition, how often it happens, regional odds, betting practice and the climate trend. Every figure links to its source. For the rest of the season, see our British Christmas statistics.

The official definition comes from the Met Office. It also has a short guide to how snow forms in the UK.

What counts as a white Christmas

1. One snowflake is enough

For the Met Office to declare a white Christmas, a single snowflake must be observed falling during the 24 hours of 25 December, by an official observer or an automated weather station.¹

2. About 300 stations do the counting

The Met Office checks for snow across a network of roughly 300 observing stations.⁴ One flake at one of them is enough for the whole UK to count as white.

3. Falling snow and lying snow are counted separately

The Met Office records the share of stations with snow or sleet falling and, separately, the share with snow lying on the ground at 9 am. A Christmas can be "white" by the first measure and still have no snow on the ground at all.¹

4. Widespread means 40% of stations

The Met Office speaks of a widespread covering when more than 40% of stations report snow on the ground at 9 am on Christmas Day.⁵

5. Until 2006 a person did the counting in London

Before 2006, a Met Office employee recorded snow by hand at the London Weather Centre. Today, automated systems across the country take over.⁶

6. The Met Office can call it five days ahead

According to STV News in 2024, the Met Office can reliably forecast Christmas Day snow up to five days in advance.⁷

How often the UK gets a white Christmas

7. About half of years since 1960 qualify clearly

Since 1960, around half of all years saw snow falling on Christmas Day at 5% or more of the Met Office network.¹

8. The loose definition was met in 38 of 52 years

In the 52 years up to 2014, a snowflake fell somewhere in the UK on Christmas Day 38 times, or 73% of years, according to Met Office data reported by City AM.⁸

9. Only four Christmases had snow on the ground at 40% of stations

Since 1960, snow lay at more than 40% of stations on Christmas Day in only four years: 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.¹

10. That is about 8% of years

Four widespread white Christmases in 51 years equals a 7.8% chance, as the Met Office data were summarised in 2014.⁸

11. 2023: snow fell at 11% of stations, none lay

In 2023, 11% of Met Office stations recorded falling snow on Christmas Day, but none reported snow lying.¹

12. 2022: 9% of stations

In 2022, snow fell at 9% of stations, with no snow lying on the ground.¹

13. 2021 and 2020: 6% of stations each

In both 2021 and 2020, snow fell at 6% of stations. Snow lay at less than 1% of stations in 2021 and at 4% in 2020.¹

14. 2018 and 2019 had no falling snow at all

The Met Office recorded no falling snow at any UK station on Christmas Day in 2018 or 2019.⁵

15. 2024 passed without recorded snow

Betting site OLBG notes that no snow was recorded on Christmas Day 2024.⁹

16. For 2025, the Met Office saw no signal for widespread snow

Its Christmas 2025 outlook said the forecast "doesn't contain a signal for widespread snowfall", with only a small chance of a rain, sleet and snow mix over high ground.¹⁰

The last widespread white Christmases

17. 2010 is the record: snow lay at 83% of stations

On Christmas Day 2010, 83% of Met Office stations reported snow on the ground, the highest share on record, and 19% recorded snow or sleet falling.¹

18. 2009 was the runner-up with 57% lying

In 2009, snow lay at 57% of stations on Christmas Day, with snow or sleet falling at 13%.¹

19. The deepest Christmas snow was 47 cm in Perthshire

The Met Office records the deepest snow on a Christmas Day as 47 cm at Kindrogan, Perthshire, in 1981.¹

20. Nothing has come close to 2010 since

The New Statesman notes that 2010 remains the last widespread Christmas snow in the UK, with five of the six least snowy years of the past 50 occurring after 2000.¹¹

21. 2015 was white on paper only

In 2015, 10% of stations recorded falling snow, which met the official definition, but no snow lay on the ground.²

Regional odds: north beats south

22. Scotland leads with 31 white Christmases

Since 1967, Scotland has had 31 white Christmases, England at least 25, Wales 16 and Northern Ireland 15 (counted in the last 50 years), as reported in 2017.²

23. A national white Christmas does not mean your garden

Because one flake anywhere counts, residents of a region may never see snow in a year when their nation is officially "white".²

24. London: about a 2% chance

A BearingPoint analysis of four decades of data put the historical chance of snow in London on Christmas Day at 2.4%.¹²

25. The UK has 13 snow-lying days a year

Across the UK, snow lies on the ground on average 13.0 days a year (1991 to 2020), but in Scotland it is 23.0 days.¹³

26. The Cairngorms are the snow capital

Cairngorm Chairlift averages 75.2 snow-lying days a year, Braemar 47.6, Balmoral 45.0 and Aviemore 44.5.¹³

27. December is not the snowy month

Snow or sleet falls on average 3.9 days in December, against 5.3 to 5.6 days in January and February.¹⁴

28. Scotland: three snow-lying days in December

In Scotland, snow lies on the ground on average 3 days in December, 3.3 in January and 3.4 in February.⁷

How bookmakers handle white Christmas

29. Bets are placed on airports, not on the UK

Bookmakers price white Christmas by airport. In 2025, William Hill offered Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Belfast, Leeds Bradford, London City and even New York JFK and Paris CDG.¹⁵

30. A single flake is enough for the bet too

William Hill settles on a single snowflake falling within the 24 hours of 25 December at the named location. It does not have to settle or lie.¹⁵

31. Aberdeen was even money in 2025

William Hill priced Aberdeen at evens (an implied 50%), Edinburgh and Glasgow at 5/4 (44%) and London City at 6/1 (14%).¹⁵

32. Ladbrokes had Edinburgh at 5/4, London City at 10/1

For Christmas 2025, Ladbrokes also quoted Edinburgh at 5/4, Newcastle 2/1, Belfast 3/1, Manchester 6/1 and London City 10/1.⁹

33. London has been the long shot for a decade

In 2014, Ladbrokes offered 10/1 on London Heathrow and 5/2 on Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.⁸

34. In 2022, the north was already favourite

Ahead of Christmas 2022, Edinburgh and Glasgow were 5/4 and London 8/1, according to Gambling.com odds reported by Yahoo News.¹⁴

The climate trend

35. The Met Office says warming has cut the odds

Climate change has brought higher average temperatures over land and sea, which generally reduces the chance of a white Christmas.¹

36. December is 1.7 degrees warmer than in the 1890s

The average December temperature was 3.1°C in the 1890s and 4.8°C over the last decade.¹¹

37. Snow-lying days fall by up to five a decade

Since 1979, the number of snow-lying days has generally decreased by up to five days per decade, and by up to ten in the North Pennines. About a fifth of the UK has seen a significant drop.¹⁶

38. Very cold winters could nearly vanish

A 2015 study in Nature Climate Change found that the chance of a winter as cold as 2009 to 2010 falls from 6% today to 0.6% by 2100.¹⁷

39. Cairngorm Mountain has lost snow depth

On Cairngorm Mountain, maximum snow depth has dropped by about 10 cm since records began in 1983 to 1984, and about 10 days of shallow snow cover have been lost.¹⁸

40. A 2020 Met Office study points to almost no snow by 2100

The New Statesman reports that a 2020 Met Office study suggests snow could disappear from the UK by the end of the century.¹¹

41. December 2025 was 1.6 degrees above average

The UK mean temperature in December 2025 was 5.8°C, 1.6°C above the long-term average.³

42. 2025 on track to be the warmest year on record

The Met Office said in December 2025 that the year was on track to be the UK's warmest since records began in 1884.¹⁹

History and Christmas weather records

43. Snow was more common in the Little Ice Age

White Christmases were significantly more common between the 1550s and 1850s. The last frost fair on the Thames was in the winter of 1813 to 1814.⁶

44. The 1752 calendar change cost snow

Moving from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752 moved Christmas earlier in the winter and so reduced the chance of snow.⁶

45. Dickens set a snowy scene in 1843

Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843) depicted a snowy London Christmas, in the decades when snow at Christmas was still common.¹¹ The tree in the window is a far safer bet than snow outside, as our Christmas tree statistics show.

46. The warmest Christmas Day reached 15.6°C

The warmest Christmas Day on record was 15.6°C at Killerton, Devon, in 1920.¹

47. The coldest was minus 18.3°C in 1878

The coldest Christmas Day reading is minus 18.3°C at Gainford, Durham, in 1878.¹

48. The snowiest 20th century winter was 1947

In 1947, snow fell somewhere in the UK every day between 22 January and 17 March, and depth reached 1.65 metres near Ruthin in Wales.¹³

What the numbers mean for businesses

Snow is the one part of Christmas nobody can plan. The data show that a white Christmas is mostly a matter of hope: a flake somewhere counts, a snowy morning for most people is rare, and the odds keep drifting the wrong way. Brands that build a December campaign around the weather are betting on something they cannot control. What shoppers actually spend in December is a steadier guide: see our Christmas spending statistics.

A countdown does not depend on the sky. A digital advent calendar gives customers, staff or pupils a small surprise behind 24 doors, whatever the weather. How many Britons already buy one is in our advent calendar statistics. See how it works for customers, as a marketing campaign or for employees.

My take

Frequently asked questions

What is the Met Office definition of a white Christmas?

A single snowflake must be observed falling during the 24 hours of 25 December, by an official observer or an automated Met Office station. It does not have to settle on the ground.

When was the last widespread white Christmas in the UK?

2010. On Christmas Day 2010, 83% of Met Office stations reported snow lying and 19% recorded snow or sleet falling. Only 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010 passed the 40% mark since 1960.

When was the last white Christmas in the UK?

The latest year in the Met Office list is 2023, when snow fell at 11% of stations but none lay. OLBG reports no recorded snow in 2024, and the Met Office saw no widespread snow signal for 2025.

Where in the UK is a white Christmas most likely?

In the north. Scotland has had 31 white Christmases since 1967, against at least 25 in England. Bookmakers price Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow shortest, and London City among the longest.

How do bookmakers settle white Christmas bets?

On a single snowflake falling at the named airport within the 24 hours of 25 December. The snow does not need to lie or settle.

Where can I use these statistics?

You are welcome to quote them in articles, reports, newsletters and presentations. Please link to this page as the source.

Sources

1. 1Met Office, White Christmas and UK Christmas weather records (metoffice.gov.uk)
2. 2Irish News, How many white Christmases has the UK had? 2017 (irishnews.com)
3. 3Met Office, December 2025 weather stats (metoffice.gov.uk)
4. 4Time Out, UK weather forecast for Christmas Day 2025 (timeout.com)
5. 5Met Office, Will it be a white Christmas? 2024 (metoffice.gov.uk)
6. 6Wikipedia, White Christmas (weather), United Kingdom section (en.wikipedia.org)
7. 7STV News, Will Scotland have a white Christmas this year? 2024 (stv.tv)
8. 8City AM, Chances of a white Christmas 2014, citing Met Office and Ladbrokes (cityam.com)
9. 9OLBG, Snow on Christmas Day 2025 odds (Ladbrokes) (olbg.com)
10. 10Met Office, What will the festive forecast bring for you? 2025 (metoffice.gov.uk)
11. 11New Statesman, A history of snowfall in the UK, with Met Office data 2022 (newstatesman.com)
12. 12Consultancy.uk, citing a BearingPoint study on London white Christmases (consultancy.uk)
13. 13Met Office, UK snow facts and figures (1991 to 2020 averages) (metoffice.gov.uk)
14. 14Yahoo News UK, citing Gambling.com odds and Met Office, December 2022 (uk.news.yahoo.com)
15. 15OLBG, White Christmas betting odds 2025 (William Hill) (olbg.com)
16. 16University of Bristol Cabot Institute, Why snow days are becoming increasingly rare in the UK 2020 (bristol.ac.uk)
17. 17Carbon Brief, Chance of a very cold UK winter falls to less than 1% by 2100 (Nature Climate Change, 2015) (carbonbrief.org)
18. 18Cairngorms National Park Authority, Snow cover and climate change on Cairngorm Mountain 2020 (cairngorms.co.uk)
19. 19Met Office, Deep dive: a year of weather records and the festive forecast 2025 (metoffice.gov.uk)