Snow fell at Braemar and Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Strathallan in Perthshire, and all of Shetland last Christmas, which was dubbed a “white Christmas.”
Although just 6% of weather stations recorded snowfall in 2020, it was officially a white Christmas that year even if most regions did not see any on the ground.
From 21:00 on Christmas Day to 18:00 on Boxing Day, there is a Met Office yellow notice for snow and ice. On higher land, up to 10 cm (4 in) of snow is predicted, along with gusty snow showers.
Moray, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Argyll and Bute, West Dunbartonshire, and the Highlands are all included in the warning.
The Met Office said on Friday that “increasingly frequent wintry showers will bring to the west of Scotland through Sunday night and into Monday morning.”
“These may temporarily fall as snow at low levels, with probable accumulations of 1-3 cm and 5–10 cm of snow over the hills. Surfaces that are icy will present additional risks.
“Snow will become increasingly confined to higher ground through Monday morning, with a further 10cm or so possible by the end of the day.
“Strong to gale force winds bring the risk of drifting and blizzards for upland areas, with a small risk of isolated power outages as the snow and strong wind affects power lines.”
The meteorological service cautioned that icy patches might occur on roads, pavements, and cycling routes, which could have an impact on travel by road and rail.
The broad covers imagined by Dickensian Christmas images are now an uncommon occurrence, however in recent years, around half of Christmas Days in the UK have had some snowfall recorded somewhere.
According to the Met Office, extensive coverings, when more than 40% of meteorological stations in the UK recorded snow on the ground at 9:00, have only occurred four occasions since 1960: in 1981, 1995, 2009, and 2010.
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