WA Advent Calendar - Tuesday 9th December

byGail-UK

3.8K followers

7 days ago

It's snowing!!

And today's Advent calendar has revealed a SNOWMAN!

Well, OK, it's not actually snowing where I live in the UK and with temperatures at 13 degrees C, it's unlikely to for a while either! So sadly, for me, I don't think I'll be looking forward to a white Christmas as per Bing's famous song. But it will be snowing somewhere!

Even so, the traditional 'white Christmas' of the song is also quite 'big business' in the UK, as many people bet on whether it will or won't occur.

The Official Definition

For the Met Office to declare a ‘white Christmas’, a single snowflake has to be observed falling on the 24 hours of 25 December, by either an official Met Office observer or by a Met Office automated weather station. This is because it needs to be officially verified both for the Met Office climate records, and also to provide consistency and certainty.

Historically, a White Christmas in the UK only required a single snowflake to fall on the Met Office building in London but the definition changed in recent years.

Since 2009, the Met Office has used a broader, national definition because betting companies and the public wanted a more accurate picture.

How Often Does the UK Get a White Christmas?

Well, I can't remember very many, but then I am only 25, ,o I don't have a lot to go on. LOL!!

However, they are much rarer than we think. Snow is more likely in January and February, as December is often too mild. The long-term statistics suggest that only about 1 in 10 UK Christmas Days have widespread snow lying on the ground.

According to the Met Office:

• The last proper White Christmas
The most memorable recent one was 2010, when 83 percent of UK weather stations recorded snow on the ground. It was one of the snowiest Christmas Days in UK history.

• But recent years have seen snow
Although not widespread, 2021 and 2022 both recorded snow falling somewhere in the UK on Christmas Day, so they count officially. Many people didn’t see it themselves, but the Met Office did.

• Why do we expect snow at Christmas at all?
A lot of it comes from Victorian imagery. Dickens’s childhood happened during a period known as the Little Ice Age, when winters in Britain were far colder and snowier. His stories, Christmas cards and illustrations helped cement the idea that Christmas should look snowy, even though modern winters are usually much warmer.

If you'd like a video explanation from the Met Office, you can watch a short video at: https://youtu.be/x2WwPy3OYzg

Where do you live, and will you get a White Christmas?

Obviously, the WA family is from all over the world, so those in the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating Christmas (if they choose to) in the middle of summer! And anyone in Norway or beyond may well have only a few hours of daylight on Christmas Day.

Let me know in the comments if you are expecting snow, have never built a snowman, or are happily cooking a BBQ on the beach on Christmas Day.

And finally, here are a couple of pictures of snowmen my children made when we did get some snow.

and now for the BIG one when there was more snow (2021 for us!)