UK snow and facts

How much snow do we get in the UK each year?

The UK gets on average 13.0 days of lying snow a year (1991 - 2020 long-term averaging period).

More snow does fall, but does not settle. Scotland sees the most snow on the ground, with 23.0 days on average a year. Most of the snow on the ground can be found in mountainous areas.

UK snow events

  • On 2 June 1975 snow showers forced the abandonment of several cricket matches across the country.
  • The snowiest winter of the twentieth century in the United Kingdom was 1947. Between 22 January and 17 March, snow fell every day somewhere in the country. 
  • The most disastrous avalanche in the United Kingdom occurred in Lewes, East Sussex on 27 December 1836. Eight people were killed and several houses were destroyed.