Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and a ‘white Christmas’ is on many people’s wish list! With this in mind, we analysed historical snow data to highlight the UK areas which experience the most snow and predict which locations might see a ‘white Christmas’ in 2021. Read on to find out more…
Historical Snow Data
According to the Met Office, the UK “gets on average 23.7 days of snowfall or sleet a year (1981 - 2010). In Scotland, the figure is much higher, with snow or sleet falling on 38.1 days on average”.
A ‘white Christmas’ is classed as when sleet or snow is reported to have fallen on 25 December. The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010, but which areas of the UK have experienced the most ‘white Christmases’ over previous years?
By UK country
For the 60 years spanning 1960 to 2020, Scotland experienced a ‘white Christmas’ the most - 26 times, or 46%. England came in second place, with 26 times (46%), followed by Wales with 19 times (34%), and then Northern Ireland with 16 times (29%).
|
Rank |
Country |
Actual number of ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) |
Percentage of ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) |
Last ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) |
|
1 |
Scotland |
36 |
64.29% |
2017 |
|
2 |
England |
26 |
46.43% |
2017 |
|
3 |
Wales |
19 |
33.93% |
2020 |
|
4 |
Northern Ireland |
16 |
28.57% |
2010 |
By UK region
For the 60 years spanning 1960 to 2020, Northern Scotland experienced a ‘white Christmas’ the most – 34 times, or 61%. Eastern Scotland and Western Scotland followed closely behind, with 30 times (54%) and 27 times (48%) respectively.
| Rank | Region | Country | Actual number of ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) | Percentage of ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) | Last ‘white Christmas’ (1960-2020) |
| 1 | Northern Scotland | Scotland | 34 | 60.71% | 2016 |
| 2 | Eastern Scotland | Scotland | 30 | 51.79% | 2017 |
| 3 | Western Scotland | Scotland | 27 | 46.43% | 2017 |
| 4= | Northeast and East England | England | 23 | 41.07% | 2015 |
| 4= | Midlands | England | 23 | 41.07% | 2017 |
| 6= | Northwest England | England | 19 | 33.93% | 2017 |
| 6= | Wales | Wales | 19 | 33.93% | 2020 |
| 8 | Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 16 | 28.57% | 2010 |
| 9 | Southwest England | England | 14 | 25.00% | 2013 |
| 10 | East Anglia | England | 13 | 23.21% | 2010 |
| 11 | Southeast and Central Southern England | England | 10 | 17.86% | 2004 |
Topping the England regions was Northeast and East England, with a ‘white Christmas’ recorded 23 times (41%), with the Midlands also tying for top spot– 23 times (41%).
Northwest England, Wales, and Northern Ireland found themselves at the middle of the region pack, with 19 times (34%), 19 times (34%) and 16 times (29%) respectively.
Southeast and Central Southern England, East Anglia, and Southwest England found themselves as the bottom of the region list, with just 10 times (18%), 13 times (23%), and 14 times (25%) respectively.
By UK county
According to the Met Office, “statistically, the snowiest place in the UK is the Cairngorms in Scotland, with 76.2 days of snow or sleet falling on average. Cornwall is the least likely to get snow, with an average of only 7.4 days of snow or sleet falling a year”.
‘White Christmas’ predictions
Temperatures continue to drop across the UK. Based on this, plus the historical snow data, we’d predict that Scotland, as well as Northeast, East England and the Midlands, could be lucky enough to experience a ‘white Christmas’ this year.
Sources:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/snow/snow-in-the-uk
- FOI request to metro office for regional data between 2017-2020 inclusive
