Will it be a white Christmas 2022? Betting odds and what the Met Office is predicting for UK

See the latest betting odds and whether the Met Office is predicting a white Christmas for the UK in 2022.
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Bookmakers Coral have slashed their odds on parts of the UK seeing a White Christmas this year. This comes after forecasters have warned that winter could come earlier this year, and the stark drop in temperature also suggests that.

As we move into the colder months the temperatures and conditions have seen a major shift since the heatwaves earlier in the year, this is partly due to Hurricane Ian and the winter months fast approaching. And to prove the run up to Christmas is officially underway, speculation grows about  snowfall on the big day.

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Christmas is always associated with the idyllic picture of a proper covering of snow outside while you stay cosy indoors around your sparkling tree, but according to the Met Office, It’s been twelve years since the last official  white Christmas in the UK.

However, that might change this year with forecasters suggesting temperatures could drop as low as -8°C  in the coming weeks following the record breaking hot temperatures this summer. So, will we get a White Christmas? Here’s everything you need to know.

What qualifies as a White Christmas?

For the Met Office to declare a white Christmas a single snowflake needs to fall at one of their 270 observation sights.

In the eyes of bookmakers, all that is needed to declare a white Christmas is the observation of a single snowflake falling within 24 hours of December 25 at one of the 13 major airports in the UK.

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Therefore, snow doesn’t technically even need to settle for it to qualify as an ‘official’  white Christmas.

Bookies odds for a White Christmas 2022?

Coral has slashed their odds for snowfall at Christmas from 2-1 to 4-5 given reports the UK could see the coldest October ever.

Coral spokesman, John Hill, said: “The odds say it will be all white on the big day. We are less than 100 days away from Christmas now, and with temperatures set to fall rapidly over the upcoming days, the early odds suggest we could be set for a White Christmas this year.”

He added: “Not only have we cut the odds on it ending as the coldest on record, but we are not ruling out snowfall.”

What has the Met Office said?

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Professor Paul Davies Met Office Fellow (Meteorology) and Chief Meteorologist, spoke on the long range forecast for the remainder of the year. He said: “November and December look more settled with high pressure likely to dominate our weather. Exact weather conditions will be dictated by where the high pressure settles over the Atlantic and the UK, but we are likely to see a higher incidence of northerly airflows, preventing mild, moist air flowing to the UK from the Atlantic Ocean and increasing the potential for cold snaps with some threat of snow and ice, mainly in northern areas.

He added: “The most likely scenario as we head into 2023 is for the risk of high-pressure to decrease, and a return to more unsettled conditions with wet, windy, and mild spells possible. However, there is still a risk we could see a Sudden Stratospheric Warming. If this happens it could potentially lead to a cold spell for the UK and northern Europe, although the chances of a very cold winter, comparable to 2009/10, are still low this winter.”

Professor Davies added: “It is important to bear-in-mind that long range outlooks are driven by global weather patterns and even if these influences, for example, suggest a higher-than-usual chance of a mild winter this would not rule out having cold spells, or even a cold winter. These scenarios would just be less likely based on the information available at the time the forecast is made. It is therefore also important to examine our regular monthly updates to the long-range outlook.”

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