Sunderland weather: When will the North East first get snow this winter according to the Met Office?

Winter is here and although we are yet to see snowfall across Sunderland there is still plenty of cold weather yet to come which could carry the white flakes and the Met Office has predicted parts of the North East could see snowfall before the end of the year.

As part of their medium-to-long-range forecast for Sunderland, the weather service suggest there could be snow and ice to contend with throughout December.

When is the Met Office predicting snow could fall in and around Sunderland?

The prediction comes from the Met Office’s long-range weather forecast for the region which describes expected weather patterns from Saturday, December 3 until Monday, December 12. Following showers throughout the first full week of December, the Met Office believes these could become wintry on higher ground or inland.

Towards the middle of December further snowy conditions could be seen in areas of the North East according to the forecast. The Met Office claim showers could once again turn wintry with colder than usual temperatures expected across most of the UK while winds from the east will make the air feel significantly colder.

The average daily high temperature in Sunderland has historically been 7.4°C, falling to an average low of 2.5°C.

Could Sunderland see a white Christmas?

It is unlikely Sunderland will see any snow this Christmas according to the second part of the Met Office’s longer term forecast which includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. More settled conditions are expected with drier weather and temperatures returning to average.

Despite these predictions, the Met Office claims that confidence remains low for the Christmas period due to the long-term nature of the forecast. There is a chance the service’s predictions could change with the organisation claiming predictions are more reliable ten days or less in advance.

Odds of a white Christmas see Sunderland’s closest weather station, Newcastle Airport, being given 3/1 odds from bookmakers for a white Christmas, although this is defined as one snowflake being seen falling, meaning the chances of any snow settling over Christmas is even slimmer.