Scotland’s weather: Odds on White Christmas cut

THE odds given by one high street bookmaker on a white Christmas in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been cut to just 5/2, as forecasters predict wintry showers on 25 December.

A snowy Edinburgh in January 2013. Picture: Jane Barlow

Ladbrokes has cut the odds on snow across the UK on Christmas Day, with Manchester and London seen as 3/1 and 6/1 shots respectively.

Forecasters predict the recent stormy weather will continue in the run up to the 25th, with heavy rain and strong winds affecting much of the UK, but temperatures are expected to drop as the week begins.

Eddy Carroll, chief forecaster with the Met Office, said: “We can expect stormy weather in many areas to start the Christmas week, but looking forward to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we are expecting it to turn colder, with a mix of wintry showers and sunny spells but for wind speeds to drop.

“So there is a chance that some places may see a White Christmas.”

Officially, a white Christmas is defined as just one single snowflake falling from the sky.

Forecast

Much of the weekend will be cool and showery, the Met Office said, with low pressure developing over the Atlantic on Sunday and passing to the north west of the UK on Monday and into Tuesday.

That low pressure will bring widespread strong winds and heavy rain from Monday morning for 24 hours, and the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for wind and rain across the South West and northern areas of the UK for the next few days, bringing the possibility of flooding.