When did it last snow on Christmas Day in Scotland?
The country has only seen widespread snow coverage on Christmas Day four times since 1960 – in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010. The Met Office will continue to provide updates in the coming days in case the forecast changes, but for now, it doesn't seem likely.
The last recorded snowfall in Glasgow was in February 2021 when Storm Darcy created heavy weather conditions and snow for a couple of days. However, with global warming driving temperatures higher, snowfall is expected to get less and less unlikely as the years go on.
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.
How many white Christmases have we had since 1960?
Already lying snow on the ground doesn't count, the snowflake has to fall on Christmas Day. Good job too as a Dickensian blanket of snow on the ground is much rarer, only occurring a handful of times since 1960 (in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010).
This has only happened four times since 1960, most recently during the very snowy December of 2010 when more than 80% of weather stations reported snow lying on the ground on Christmas Day.
The winter of 1962–1963, known as the Big Freeze of 1963, was one of the coldest winters (defined as the months of December, January and February) on record in the United Kingdom. Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Glasgow's population grew rapidly, reaching a peak of 1,127,825 people in 1938 (with a higher density and within a smaller territory than in subsequent decades).
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.
Snow and ice decline is perhaps the most straightforward of all climate change effects - increasing temperatures means snow and ice melt faster, while snow falls less regularly*. As such, more or less all global metrics of snow and ice are declining: Sea ice is decreasing at 0.51 million km³ per decade (NOAA, 2024)
When was the last time we had snow before Christmas?
When was the last white Christmas? Technically, 2023 was the last white Christmas in the UK with 11% of stations recording snow falling, although none reported any snow lying on the ground. Before that, 2022 saw 9% of weather stations recording falling snow, but none with any snow settling.
Why was Christmas cancelled for 400 years in Scotland?
For 400 years, Christmas (or Yuletide) was heavily affected by the religious tensions of the 16th-century Scottish Reformation. At one point, people caught celebrating the holiday could be imprisoned.
2022 marked the 80th anniversary of Irving Berlin's festive classic song “White Christmas”. When it was first released in 1942, performed by Bing Crosby, it captured the popular imagination, going on to become the best-selling single ever - a record it still retains to this day.
This exceptionally cold and snowy winter, dubbed the “Big Freeze of 1947,” saw snow cover lasting for up to 55 consecutive days in some areas. Temperatures plummeted to record lows, with the Thames River freezing over for the first time in over 200 years.
This last glacial period, known in Britain as the Late Devensian glaciation, began about 33,000 years ago. At its peak, about 22,000 years ago, a large ice sheet covered all of Scotland and went as far south as England's Midlands area.
Heatwaves in Scotland are defined as periods of three-days or more above 25°C. The longest recorded heatwave in Scotland occurred at Glentress in Peeblesshire, where temperatures exceeded 28°C for 8 consecutive days in July 1976, demonstrating that even northern regions are not immune to prolonged periods of heat.
Officially, the sunniest month that Scotland has ever experienced occurred on the island of Tiree. During May 1946, Tiree received 329 hours of sunshine. This record has yet to be beaten, however Dundee is consistently recognised as the sunniest place in Scotland.
It is generally rare that snow will fall and stick in Scottish cities like Edinburgh. Positioned on the West Coast of Scotland, it is also highly unlikely that Glasgow will receive snow at all throughout the year. If there is any snowfall, the mild climate prevents any snow from staying for extended periods of time.
