With Christmas only a few days away and temperatures getting noticeably colder all across the country, you may be wondering what the chances are of a white Christmas this year.
Despite Christmas weather in many parts of the UK ending up dark, cloudy and sometimes rainy, there's always that small bit of hope that snow will hit the ground for at least one special day.
The Met Office states that since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5 per cent of the network record for snow falling on Christmas Day.
So, statistically, we can expect more than half of all Christmas Days to be a white Christmas.
Despite this, countrywide snow falling on the ground on Christmas day is actually much, much rarer.
The last widespread white Christmas was in 2010 while technically, last year was a white Christmas because snow fell around six per cent of weather stations.
Here's what the Met Office says about the odds of a white Christmas this year.
Met Office prediction for 2021 white Christmas
While it's likely to snow over the highest ground of Scotland and north England throughout the weekend, the same unfortunately can't be said for the rest of England.
The Met Office website states: "The key uncertainty for Christmas Day is where the boundary between cold and milder air will meet and therefore where the greater chances of any snow are.
"Currently the most likely regions to be in the colder air are Scotland, the far north of England and Northern Ireland where there is the possibility of some snow, particularly over higher ground.
"However small changes in the positioning of this boundary will significantly change the outlook.
"To the south of this, conditions remain unsettled; cloudy with spells of rain and some stronger winds at times, while to the north drier and brighter spells, with some wintry showers develop likely feeling very cold in the brisk northeasterly winds."
The Met Office adds that the most likely regions where there is the possibility of snow on Christmas Day are Scotland, the far north of England and Northern Ireland - however this could change.
Deputy Chief meteorologist, Helen Caughey, said: “After a relatively benign start to the week, the forecast turns more unsettled and finely balanced as we approach Christmas.
"With colder air meeting milder air over the UK, the specific details of the forecast for Christmas day are still a little uncertain.
“Milder air moves northeast over much of the country by the middle of the week, with spells of rain for most at times, which will turn to snow over higher ground in northern Scotland initially.
"The boundary between the milder and colder air is then forecast to sink south later on Christmas Eve and through Christmas Day, introducing colder, clearer conditions for some.
"However exactly where this boundary gets to is hard to pin down at the moment, and is key as to where can expect any snow over Christmas, so keep up to date with the forecast for the latest information as we move through the week”.
