Bookies cut odds on us having a white Christmas

GET your bets in for a white Christmas, folks, as the bookies have slashed the odds on snow falling on December 25.

As the temperature drops next week thanks to a blast of cold air from Scandinavia, the odds of a white Christmas in the North and beyond have been cut.

With just over two weeks until the big day, Ladbrokes have changed the odds of snow falling on Christmas Day in Newcastle from 5/2 to 9/4.

For that to happen, snow must be recorded at Newcastle International Airport’s weather station on December 25.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a white Christmas in the North. The UK’S last official white Christmas was in 2010, when snowfall was widespread.

Bookies have slashed the odds on every city in Britain seeing snow on Christmas Day, with Aberdeen most likely to see a white Christmas at 6/5. In the capital, London’s chances have been cut from 5/1 to 9/2.

Alex Apati, from Ladbrokes, said: “Weather-watching punters may be dreaming of a White Christmas, but the latest odds are suggesting they’ll be waking up to one and cashing in.”

After a number of mild days, the weather is set to become colder again from today with a chance of light showers later in the week.

Looking ahead to the long-range forecast, the Met Office says the weather is looking “fairly changeable” over the festive period with some wintry showers possible over higher ground.

More settled conditions are expected as we head into the New Year. According to the Met Office, a snowflake has fallen somewhere in the UK on Christmas Day 38 times in the last 54 years, so just over half of all Christmas Days can be considered white.