Experts suggest that there is a higher likelihood of experiencing a White Christmas in 2024 compared to the previous year. Last year, Christmas Day marked the warmest since 2016, with record-breaking temperatures observed. It was the warmest Christmas Eve since 1997. Aberdeen airport is currently leading the betting as the most probable place to see snow on December 25th. The team at Gambling.com has analysed the odds to determine the most probable locations for a White Christmas. Aberdeen tops the list with bookmakers estimating a 44.4% chance of snow on the northeast coast of Scotland. The focus is not just on whether it snows but specifically on whether it snows at a city’s airport. Therefore, even Aberdeen is not viewed as having better than a 50/50 chance of experiencing snow.
Following Aberdeen in the betting are Glasgow (6/4) and Edinburgh (7/4). Due to their lower altitude, areas around Clydeside and the Forth Estuary in Scotland are less likely to have snow. In England, Coral has set the odds for Newcastle at 7/4 and Leeds-Bradford airport at 7/2. Leeds is ahead of Liverpool and Manchester, priced at 5/1 and 6/1 respectively. Surprisingly, Cardiff’s odds have seen a significant shift from 9/1 in 2023 to 6/1 this year. Belfast has also experienced a change in odds, dropping from 4/1 to 2/1 for 2024. London, which had a high temperature of 13°C on December 25th, 2023, now has a 10% chance of snow this Christmas according to bookmakers.
In 2023, forecasters officially declared a White Christmas as snow fell across parts of Scotland. The Met Office recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day in various locations, notably in Exeter Airport and East Malling, Kent, where temperatures did not dip below 12.4°C. This surpassed the previous record set in 1983. On Christmas Day, the warmest temperature reached 13.6°C at Exeter Airport and Merryfield in Somerset, making it the warmest Christmas since 2016. This followed a record high of 15.3°C in Heathrow, southwest London on Christmas Eve, 2023 – the warmest since 1997. The warmest Christmas Day on record was 15.6°C in 1920, while the highest Christmas Eve temperatures reached 15.5°C in Aberdeen and Banff in Scotland in 1931.
With snow, sleet, and rain observed in parts of Scotland in 2023, the Met Office proclaimed it an ‘official white Christmas.’ The criteria for this designation is a single snowflake falling on December 25th. These weather phenomena occurred as snow fell in Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore. It is interesting to note how the odds for a White Christmas at various locations have shifted for 2024, reflecting changing weather patterns and conditions. As Christmas approaches, many will be eagerly watching the forecasts to see if their area will indeed experience a picturesque White Christmas this year.