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Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Snow at Christmas is deep-seated in British culture, and many of us long for the likes of the scenes depicted on traditional Christmas cards and in works like Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' or 'Pickwick Papers'.  The interest in snowy Christmases has its origins in the colder climate of the period 1550-1850 when Britain was in the grip of a 'Little Ice Age'. Winters were particularly persistent and severe - 1813/14 was the last winter that a 'frost fair' was held on the River Thames in London. For most parts of the UK, Christmas comes at the beginning of the season for snow. Wintry weather is more likely early in the deepening cold of January. White Christmases were more frequent in the 18th and 19th centuries, even more so before the change of calendar in 1752 which effectively brought Christmas day back by 12 days. What is a white Christmas?For many a white Christmas means a complete covering of snow, ideally falling between midnight and midday on the 25th. However, the definition used most widely, notably by those placing and taking bets, is for a single snow flake (perhaps amongst a shower of rain and snow mixed) to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December.  The last white Christmas was in 2004, when snow was widespread across Northen Ireland, Scotland, parts of Wales, the Midlands, north-east and far south-west England. This year we are working with interested parties and will be able to categorically state whether it has been a white Christmas at the following centres:
 Will it snow in your region? Check the latest UK weather forecast. |
