Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Unlikely this year - Defining a White Christmas

09:00
24 December 2025

Unlikely this year
Defining a White Christmas

Group of adults and children walking and playing on a snowy field, one child riding a red sled being pulled, others walking with a small dog, with winter hills and trees in the background.
2020 saw a white Christmas, however, only 4% of stations reported any snow lying on the ground. - © picture alliance

It's almost Christmas Day, and there's always talk of whether snow will fall or not, but what defines a true White Christmas?

In the UK, the definition of a White Christmas was set by the Met Office. It used to be that a snowflake had to fall on the Met Office's building in London, but today it's if just one snowflake falls somewhere.

In Ireland, Met Éireann similarly state that a White Christmas is defined by the measure of any quantity of snow falling anytime over Christmas Day. The last Irish white Christmas was in 2010, with a spectacular 27 cm of snow.

This year, the outlook is not positive, at least not if you were hoping for snow. Instead, skies clear for a sunny, if chilly, Christmas.

Some small light showers in Scotland could turn snowy, but in terms of a real, widespread White Christmas, there's no good news.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Heavier rainfall over the week for some. Ireland & Scotland. . . Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Split image showing a Europe rainfall accumulation forecast map on the left with the highest totals across the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia, and a satellite weather map on the right with a broad band of rain stretching across Ireland, Scotland, and northern Britain, highlighted by a rain cloud icon.
Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Ireland & Scotland

Heavier rainfall over the week for some
Typhoon warning for China. Up to 500 mm of rain. . . Friday, 24 July 2026
Weather map of the southern Chinese coast and Taiwan showing a powerful tropical cyclone. The eye of the storm is located near the coastal city of Shantou in the Chinese province of Guangdong. Around the centre, intense shades of red, pink and violet indicate gale-force winds, whilst a large orange wind field extends as far as the west coast of Taiwan. An overlaid windsack warning sign indicates dangerous storm winds. Cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Taipei and Taichung are shown, as are wind speeds and white flow lines illustrating the cyclonic air circulation.
Friday, 24 July 2026

Up to 500 mm of rain

Typhoon warning for China
Drought for North Wales and Upper Severn. 2% of average rainfall. . . Thursday, 23 July 2026
Split image showing a July rainfall anomaly map of Europe on the left with below-average rainfall across the UK, Ireland, and much of western and central Europe, and an active moorland wildfire on the right producing flames and thick smoke near homes.
Thursday, 23 July 2026

2% of average rainfall

Drought for North Wales and Upper Severn
All weather news
This might also interest you
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday, 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList