Surrey: Bing Crosby won't be the only one dreaming of a white Christmas this year. The recent wave of cold weather has got Britons betting on snow for Christmas Day.
And the prediction for Surrey is for the first real snowy Christmas in 31 years.
High street bookmaker Ladbrokes has placed the odds at 3-1 marginally better than the prospects of Gordon Haskill being Christmas Number One.
But although it may snow in your street, your bet will not necessarily be a winner. Ladbrokes definition of a White Christmas is a single snowflake falling on the London Weather Centre.
Nevertheless, the chances of Surrey children waking up on Christmas Day and seeing their street draped in white are high, according to weather expert Ian Currie.
The 51-year-old editor of Weather Eye magazine predicted a white Christmas 12 months ago. His forecast has been met with the arrival of cold winds from the north and east of Europe.
He says: "At the moment the run-up to Christmas does look fairly cold, and theres a lot of cold air over Scandinavia and eastern Europe so perhaps this year the chances are higher than they have been in recent years.
His forecasts are based on information gleaned from satellite charts, the world wide web and short wave radio.
He says Surrey has not seen a classic White Christmas since 1970. That year, it snowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There was about six inches of snow.
Despite the favourable odds, there is still more chance of seeing Bing Crosby on the TV on Christmas Day than snow. But, unsurprisingly, Ladbrokes hasnt received any big punts on Bing.
December 24, 2001 11:30
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