Will it snow in London?
London, England · checked 20:51 BST, Mon 19 Oct
This week
This site does not carry a snow forecast for UK cities. The Met Office forecast is the one to read: Met Office forecast for London.
There was no Met Office snow or ice warning for London & South East England when this site last read the warnings, at 20:49 Mon 19 Oct.
How cold winters get in London
The Met Office station at Heathrow (London Airport), 23 km from the centre of London, averaged 27.0 days of air frost a year in 1991–2020 (30 complete years).
December is the frostiest month there, with 7.2 frost days on average; December to February together average 20.2.
Average days of air frost by month, 1991–2020
| Month | Air frost |
|---|---|
| October | 0.3 days |
| November | 2.7 days |
| December | 7.2 days |
| January | 6.8 days |
| February | 6.2 days |
| March | 3.0 days |
| April | 0.8 days |
Months with none on average are left out.
Across the UK the Met Office says snow is more likely in January and February than in December. Days with snow lying averaged 3 in December, 3.3 in January, 3.4 in February and 1.9 in March in 1991–2020 (UK-wide figures, not for London alone).
Will London have a white Christmas?
The Met Office counts a white Christmas when at least one snowflake is observed falling during the 24 hours of December 25 by one of its observers or automatic stations — snow does not have to settle.
By that definition one station is enough: the Met Office recorded snow falling at 6% to 11% of its stations on each Christmas Day from 2020 to 2023, and at none in 2018 or 2019. Snow lying on the ground is much rarer; the last widespread white Christmas was in 2010, when snow lay at 83% of stations.
This page has no city-specific white Christmas odds for London: the Met Office's open monthly station data does not record snow.
White Christmas in London: the Met Office rule and record
Where these numbers come from
Frost: Met Office historic station data (Heathrow (London Airport), file heathrowdata.txt); contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; the 1991–2020 averages were calculated by this site from the monthly values. White Christmas definition and UK snow-lying days: Met Office. Warnings: the Met Office's regional RSS feeds.
This site does not issue warnings or predict snow. It repeats the official forecast and the long-run record.
Questions
Will it snow in London this week?
This page does not carry a forecast for UK cities. The Met Office forecast for London is linked above, and when this site last read the Met Office warnings (20:49 Mon 19 Oct) there was no snow or ice warning for London & South East England.
Will it snow in London this winter (2026–27)?
Nobody can say for a whole winter ahead. The Met Office says snow is more likely in January and February than in December; across the UK, days with snow lying averaged 3 in December, 3.3 in January, 3.4 in February and 1.9 in March in 1991–2020. The Met Office station at Heathrow (London Airport), 23 km from the centre of London, averaged 27.0 days of air frost a year in 1991–2020 (30 complete years). December is the frostiest month there, with 7.2 frost days on average; December to February together average 20.2.
What counts as a white Christmas in London?
The Met Office counts a white Christmas when at least one snowflake is observed falling during the 24 hours of December 25 by one of its observers or automatic stations — snow does not have to settle. By that definition one station is enough: the Met Office recorded snow falling at 6% to 11% of its stations on each Christmas Day from 2020 to 2023, and at none in 2018 or 2019. Snow lying on the ground is much rarer; the last widespread white Christmas was in 2010, when snow lay at 83% of stations.
Will it snow in other UK cities?
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