Nothing makes Christmas more magical than waking up a picturesque dusting of snow on the big day. But a proper White Christmas is something we haven't seen for over a decade now. The last time we saw a White Christmas in Birmingham was 2010. This was when snow was widespread across the UK.
Once again, it seems very unlikely that we will have a white Christmas this year. The BBC weather forecast for Christmas Day in Birmingham is currently predicting temperatures of around 6 and 7 degrees celsius with lows of 3 degrees and sunny intervals and a gentle breeze on the big day.
The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010. It was extremely unusual, as not only was there snow on the ground at 83% of stations (the highest amount ever recorded) but snow or sleet also fell at 19% of stations.
Snow, sleet and rain moved across parts of Scotland, with Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore recording snowflakes, the Met Office said. The forecaster said this made Christmas Day 2023 an “official white Christmas”, which is defined by at least one snowflake falling on 25 December.
The last time we saw a White Christmas in Birmingham was 2010. This was when snow was widespread across the UK. The 2010 White Christmas was reported as extremely unusual. It was the coldest Christmas ever recorded in the UK.
When did it last snow on Christmas Day in the Midlands?
The UK's last white Christmas technically took place in 2022, when 9 per cent of weather stations recorded snowfall. The last time Britain saw substantial snow on the ground on Christmas Day was in 2010, at 83 per cent of stations.
Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore in Scotland recorded a mixture of rain and snow on Christmas day - despite parts of the country reaching the highest minimum daily temperature on record for 25 December.
There was no snow recorded in 2018 or 2019, according to the Met Office, and the last widespread White Christmas came in 2010, when there was snow at 83 percent of stations in the UK.
The experts at OLBG have profiled the latest betting odds and statistics surrounding the chances of a White Christmas taking place in 2023 - and there's a 14.30% chance of snow in Birmingham, so it's not looking particularly promising at this moment in time.
Birmingham receives 1.6 inches of snow on average, with nearly one half (0.6 inches) falling in the first month of the year. 11.80 inches of snow fell in January 1936. An inch of snow or more falls generally every five years or so in Birmingham in January. January is the cloudiest month of the year.
Winter in Birmingham is cold, although it's not unbearably so, and if you pack well you'll enjoy even the chillest day out in the city. It's possible to get snow, especially in January and February, although snow isn't the most common weather in Birmingham in the winter.
It forecasts that the most affected areas could witness up to 9.5 inches of snow on the ground. A Met Office spokesperson told the Independent that it has a 'high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year'. But probably not for everyone. They added: 'that does not mean we will see blankets of snow.
The hottest Christmas Day on record was 15.6C in 1920, and there is a chance – albeit a small one – this could be matched or even beaten, the Met Office says. The Met Office said temperatures hit 15.3C in Heathrow, west London, and Cippenham in Slough.
That means those living in England have experienced a white Christmas at least 25 times since 1967 – although people may not have seen a single snowflake in some of those years. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, has experienced 15 white Christmases in the last 50 years.
The definition that the Met Office uses to define a white Christmas is for one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK. Today's highest minimum temperature beats the previous 11.5C (52.7F) record set in Waddon, south London in 1983.
For more southern areas of the UK away from the highest hills there have only been six classic widespread white Christmas days when snow has fallen and laid giving a good cover during the 20th century. They were 1906, 1917, 1923, 1938, 1956 and 1970.
It comes after the Met Office provisionally recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record with predicted highs of 14C. Snowflakes fell in the Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore areas, meaning it could be classed as a White Christmas.
What are the odds of snowing on Christmas Day in the UK?
According to betting.com, the chances of a white Christmas somewhere in the UK are 7/4, with London being an outside bet at 9/1. The latest odds were given on December 14.
In Scotland, snowflakes have fallen on Christmas Day 37 times since 1960. This compares to 16 times in Northern Ireland and 16 in Wales. In England, it's a matter of the north-south divide: northern England has had 26 white Christmases in that period, compared with 10 in the balmy south.
A coastal storm developed in Gulf States and moved up East Coast on December 24, 1966. A widespread white Christmas resulted for many. Thunder and vivid lightning were reported along with heavy rain and snow from Baltimore north to Rhode Island. JFK Airport closed for 24 hours because of drifting snow.
The deepest snow ever recorded in an inhabited area of the UK was near Ruthin in North Wales during the severe winter of 1946-47. A series of cold spells brought large drifts of snow across the UK, causing transport problems and fuel shortages. During March 1947 a snow depth of 1.65 metres was recorded.
