Leading weather forecasters have revealed that snow is likely to hit the UK as soon as next week. This has made the chances of having a 2017 White Christmas a lot more possible.
The predicted cold snap is due to the ‘La Nina’ effect which is where the sea surface temperature drops by three to five degrees. This introduces colder air into the atmosphere. A Met Office representative has advised that the effects of, ‘La Nina’, lead to colder than normal temperatures.
A bracing wind and wet conditions will also occupy the freezing temperatures which will see some Northern parts of the UK drop to a chilly -4 degrees.
This will make snow probable in these areas.
Disrupted commutes.
The Met Office has also said that these conditions could lead to some commutes being disrupted. However, at present no official weather warnings have been declared despite some places being predicted to have at least three centimetres of snow.
Snow is expected to cover most of Scotland and the rest of the country will feel the effects of 57mph winds and decreasing temperatures.
Bookies have now slashed the odds of having a white Christmas with 7/4 odds in Scotland and 5/1 for Bristol and Liverpool.
Weather predicting website Netweather have maintained that still looks as if this Christmas will be a mild one. The last time the UK experienced a widespread white Christmas was over seven years ago in 2010.
Which at the time was described by the Met Office as ‘unusual’, and saw 19% of stations covered in snow.
The first white Christmas in seven years?
To be classed as a white Christmas there must be at least one snowflake that falls on December 25th. It must be new snow and not pre-existing snow that may still be around from previous snow falls.
This has reportedly happened thirty-eight times in the last fifty-four years. Although it is difficult for weather experts to forecast beforehand, our favourite movies and television programmes all make us yearn for that picturesque fall on Christmas morning.
Next week sees a very wintery forecast with wind, rain, sleet and low temperatures throughout the UK.
Freezing temperatures will hit the minuses, and daytime temperatures will feel colder than normal due to the forceful Atlantic winds.
We will have to wait to see if we wake up to a white Christmas this year, but one thing is for certain in the words of the Stark family from Game of Thrones, ‘Winter is coming’.
