London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Met Office confirms white Christmas as snow falls in Scotland

Met Office confirms white Christmas as snow falls in Scotland

It's officially a white Christmas, according to the Met Office.

Reports of snow have been confirmed in Braemar and Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Strathallan in Perthshire and across Shetland.

Traffic camera footage also revealed snow or sleet fell across the Yorkshire Dales in England.

The Met Office defines a white Christmas as when one snowflake is observed to fall in the 24 hours of Christmas somewhere in the UK.

A spokeswoman said: "We have seen snowfall through the early hours of Christmas Day, though there has not been any significant snowfall since 5am this morning.

"Up until then we saw snowfall across Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Shetland.

"We have seen snowfall on Christmas Day, so it is officially a white Christmas."

BBC Weather Watcher Georgie captured this snowy scene at Insh in the Highlands

The garden complemented the Christmas decorations in this shot from another WeatherWatcher Emma in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire


Many parts of the UK saw rain on Christmas Day although it was cold and bright in north East England and Scotland.

The rain in Northern Ireland was particularly heavy and there were warnings of localised flooding.

Snow is expected to be more widespread on 26th December with a yellow warning in place for parts of central and southern Scotland and northern England.

In recent times about half of Christmas Days have seen some snowfall recorded somewhere in the UK but the widespread coverings evoked by Dickensian Christmas scenes are now a rare event.

There has only been a widespread covering - where more than 40% of weather stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 09:00 - four times since 1960, in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010, according to the Met Office.


Last year was also technically a white Christmas, with 6% of weather stations reporting some snow falling but in most places it did not lie on the ground, and there was no snow recorded in 2018 or 2019.

The UK is generally more likely to see snow between January and March than in December, and climate change has also reduced the likelihood of Christmas snowfall.

White Christmases were more frequent in the 18th and 19th centuries, even more so before the change of calendar in 1752 which, in effect, brought Christmas Day back by 12 days.

BBC Weather Watcher MikeN found evidence that Santa Paws had visited Torphins, Aberdeenshire.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
×