Probably best to not get your hopes up for a wintry Christmas card scene on the big day …
Those dreaming of a white Christmas are unlikely to see it come true in East Yorkshire this year with “no strong signals for significant or widespread snowfall”. That is the verdict of the Met Office with December 25 just around the corner.
A ‘white Christmas ‘ is defined by the forecaster as at least one snowflake falling anytime on the big day and being observed by either an official Met Office observer or by a Met Office automated weather station. The last Christmas that met that definition in our region was in 2020 though it was very much a ‘technical’ declaration as only a few flakes fell in most places early in the morning that soon melted.
Before that, the notoriously freezing December of 2010 saw significant snow remaining on the ground throughout the area and, indeed, most of the country. In fact, it was the snowiest Christmas on record in Britain in terms of how widespread it was with 83 per cent of weather stations reporting snow on the ground. However, snow did not actually fall on the day itself in most places though few would have cared about that little caveat!
A ‘Dickensian scene’ of widespread snow lying on the ground around the UK is pretty rare. In fact, there have only been four occasions since 1960 when more than 40 per cent of weather stations reported snow on the ground – 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.
So, what about this year? While a ‘technical’ white Christmas cannot be ruled out with the odd wintry shower about, a beautiful blanket of snow seems unlikely in our part of the country, according to the Met Office. Chief meteorologist Jason Kelly, said: “After a spell of unsettled and wet weather, we’re expecting a gradual shift to more settled conditions as high pressure builds.”
He added: “This will bring drier and colder weather for many over the Christmas period, with the risk of overnight frost and fog where skies clear.
“While there will likely be some showers, more especially in eastern and southern areas, these perhaps wintry over higher ground, there are currently no strong signals for significant or widespread snowfall.”
Overall, a “mostly cloudy” Christmas week seems most probable in our region with the occasional bright spell at times. It should be mostly dry too with temperatures by Christmas Day peaking at around 7C and falling to 3 or 4C overnight.
There may be some foggy patches in places too. Highs through the rest of the festive week will hover between 7 and 10C, falling to between 3 and 6C overnight.
Looking ahead towards New Year, the Met Office says “largely settled conditions” are expected “leading to frost and fog in places”.