As we enter into December the festive season is well underway and many are keen to find out whether we can expect a white Christmas this year.
With temperatures plummeting this week, hopes of some festive snow have been raised and weather experts have been weighing in on what we can expect this month.
The Met Office has said that it's still too early to tell, with a spokesperson for the forecaster telling the Daily Star that it is "not possible to give a definitive snow forecast for Christmas Day with this lead time".
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But it could be bad news for those dreaming of a white Christmas, as they also revealed that there's usually higher chances of snowfall in Spring than during the festive period.
The Met Office spokesperson added: "On average, we’re more likely to see snowfall in March than in December."
Despite this, they did reveal that we are set for some bitter winter weather in the upcoming days, saying: "On the current forecast, things will be turning much cooler as we move into the weekend, with an easterly airflow inviting cold air in from the east and temperatures dropping for many."
While the Met Office are yet to give their full verdict, other weather experts have also been weighing in on the chances of a white Christmas for 2022.
British Weather Services meteorologist Jim Dale believes that the potential for snow this Christmas will actually be "the best since 2010/11", which saw the Beast from the East wreak havoc across the country.
Rumours of a return of the Beast from the East have been spiralling recently, but Jim warned that it's actually a "Troll from the Trondheims" that could be bringing cold weather to the UK in the upcoming weeks.
He told the Daily Star that this week we'll be in "no man's land" when it comes to cold weather, which will see us "chasing cloud, chasing mist and it’s a bit cold but it isn’t anything out of the ordinary."
But by next Friday Scotland is expected to see some festive snow.
Explaining the frosty weather heading to the UK this month, he said: "This is coming out of Scandinavia.
"When we talk about the best of the east, that’s the Russian one, that’s when you get easterlys coming in and it brings the cold weather across from Russia and the Siberias, this one is a Scandinavian one, which means that lower pressure will form over Scandinavia".
He predicts that Scotland will be hit first, experiencing some "quite significant snow" by the end of next week.
But the freezing temperatures could then reach the rest of the UK.
He added: "This is the critical bit now, so Scotland goes under first and in the weekend that then falls, that’s next weekend, it starts to affect areas in the north of England and maybe North wales."
If we get a break-down in the weather he warns that the UK could be thrown into a "battleground" of "blizzards and difficulties".
He said there's currently a 30% chance of this happening, explaining: "I’m not saying that will happen, I’m just saying there’s a scenario that if we get a break down it might end up like that".
While he urges people not to "panic", Jim does recommend being prepared for the potential freezing whether that could be coming our way.
He said: "Get your shopping in early, get your food in early, make sure you’re doing everything this week and next week rather than the week after when the risks are far higher".
When it comes to chances of a white Christmas this year, Jim thinks that "it's entirely possible" that areas in the UK could see snowfall on December 25th, although he recognised that it is still too far away to be certain.
He said: "Speaking 24 days away, possibly this is as good a chance as what we've seen this far away, that doesn't mean it's going to happen."
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