Will it be a White Christmas in Leeds? - Weather expert makes surprising prediction

Christmas is only at the beginning of the period when it's likely to snow - with snow more likely to fall between January and March.

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.

The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010.

-> Northern NHS trusts concerned about ‘prematurely’ leaving Tier 3 on day Leeds finds out if city will go into Tier 2There was no record of snow falling at any station in the UK in 2018, or in 2019.

However, weather expert Sara Thornton - Director of digital weather service Weathertrending.com - has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that "while at this stage there’s little to suggest we’ll see a winter wonderland of deep snow", a wintry shower can't be ruled out in Leeds on Christmas Day.

Sara said the greatest chance of a covering of snow would be on the higher ground of Yorkshire as the colder air spreads in.

She believes we are "long overdue" a white Christmas this year.

-> The Grinch that stole Christmas in Chapel Allerton: Man destroys Leeds beauty salon’s decorations with knifeSara told the YEP: "There’s a difference between a White Christmas, which needs falling flakes, and a snowy Christmas, which refers to snow lying on the ground.

"It’s a decade since we saw a really widespread cold or snowy Christmas, so cold-lovers feel we’re long overdue!

"After days of unsettled and relatively mild weather, things will start to turn colder from the middle of next week in the run-up to the big day, which should add to the festive spirit.

"We think it’s ever more likely that West Yorkshire will wake up to a frost on Christmas morning.

"And while at this stage there’s little to suggest we’ll see a winter wonderland of deep snow, we definitely aren’t ruling out a wintry shower almost anywhere, with the greatest chance of a light covering over the higher ground of Yorkshire as the colder air spreads in."

How likely is a white Christmas?

The Met Office can accurately forecast if snow is likely on any given Christmas Day up to five days beforehand.

Since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5% of the network record snow falling on Christmas Day.

This means the service can probably expect more than half of all Christmas Days to be a 'white Christmas'.

However, the Dickensian scene of widespread snow lying on the ground on Christmas Day is much rarer.

There has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground (where more than 40% of stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 9 am) four times since 1960—in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.

-> Asda Middleton worker's 'amazing act of kindness' as she spots homeless man outside Leeds storeWhat is a white Christmas?

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.

Traditionally the service used to use a single location in the country to define a white Christmas, which was the Met Office building in London.

However, with the increase in betting on where will see a white Christmas, the number of locations have increased and can now include sites such as Buckingham Palace, Belfast (Aldergrove Airport), Aberdeen (Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen FC), Edinburgh (Castle), Coronation Street in Manchester and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The Met Office also analyse the data from their observing stations around the UK to provide a complete picture of where snow has fallen or was lying on Christmas Day.

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