White Christmas in 2023? Here are US, UK forecasts

There is just over a month till December 25 and lot of people are curious if there will be a white Christmas in the UK and the US, especially those who want to travel to visit loved ones during the holiday season.

However, with precisely five weeks remaining before the big day, the Met Office has not yet released any official forecasts for the type of weather that would characterise the festive season.

Yahoo News UK investigates the possibility that Christmas in the UK in 2023 will bring snow.

In its latest long-range forecast, which covers the period between 24 November and 18 December, the Met Office said: "Temperatures will most likely be near or a little above average for the period as a whole, although some colder interludes are possible."

"As is normal in December, occasional frost and wintry showers are likely at times."

It also said, "The most likely scenario through early December is for predominantly changeable weather, with spells of rain or showers and strong winds interspersed by short-lived drier, brighter periods, although there is a lower chance of more prolonged settled conditions developing."

"Rainfall amounts are likely to be near or above average, with the heaviest rain likely to be in the northwest at first, perhaps shifting further south towards mid-December."

It's only Thanksgiving Day, after all, but before long it will be time to focus on the December holidays, which includes Christmas.

And the age-old query that a lot of people will soon have is "will I have a white Christmas?"

Based on certain long-term estimates for December, top forecasters suggest that prospects may not be as excellent this year for many of us, partly because of El Niño.

"Weak, moderate, and strong El Niños all share similar features for the month of December," DTN meteorologist Jeff Baranick wrote in a blog post earlier this month. "It is usually very warm for most of the US outside of the Southwest where it is typically cooler, while precipitation increases are seen across the southern tier."

He also mentioned that arctic air incursions are probably going to be minimal or nonexistent in December.

"This does not mean that December will be warm every day, or that snow will not occur, but it does mean that the chances for a white Christmas are reduced for most of the country outside of the western mountains," Baranick said.

It is important to note that Baranick described the prognosis as "probabilistic." This refers to a situation where forecasts are expressed as probabilities of different outcomes in order to convey uncertainty.