Christmas day in Edinburgh 2010 was "white" by both definitions: the city was covered in snow and the Met Office officially recorded snow flakes falling in the city. At least one flake must fall on 25th December for it to be technically called "A White Christmas" as far as the bookies are concerned.
The Met Office announced at ten minutes past midnight on Sunday 26 December:
"Using technology such as radar, webcams and ground based sensors combined with the expert opinion of experienced forecasters, the Met Office is able to declare whether or not (YES or NO) snow fell at the following locations on Christmas Day 2010 :- Aberdeen: YES. Glasgow: YES. Edinburgh: YES. London: NO. Liverpool: NO. Manchester: NO. Birmingham: NO. Cardiff: NO. Belfast: NO."
A white, wet christmas
It may have been a white Christmas, but it also turned out to be a wet christmas for some. The thaw started setting in on Christmas day. Christmas was put on hold as people scrambled to deal with burst pipes. Scottish Water said it has received over 14,000 calls from customers seeking help which is more than four times the normal level for this time of year.
“We are dealing with extremely high levels of calls. Our Customer Helpline in Edinburgh and our back up call centre together with our field teams are working at full capacity," said Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s Customer Service Delivery Director.
Scottish Water has been asking people to check its info page on how to deal with burst pipes and shut off the water in emergencies.
Hogmanay weather forecast
Revellers coming to party in Edinburgh's streets for the New Year will probably welcome the bout of milder weather.
The organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival are encouraged in their latest announcement: "With only days until Edinburgh's Hogmanay kick-starts with the Torchlight Procession on Thursday 30 December, it looks like the winter weather will be clearing for the four day festival, with dry calm weather forecast throughout!"
The Met Office report for the Hogmanay Street Party on the night of Friday 31st is for temperatures of 2C with relatively benign 7mph winds. Strong winds have forced the organisers to cancel the street party on two occasions in previous years.
Although the forecast is also for mist during the day in Edinburgh, it is expected to clear up by the night time so hopefully there shouldn't be a problem watching the Hogmanay Fireworks at midnight.
Tickets to the street party are still available and are expected to be on sale up until 8pm on the day.
More on Edinburgh Weather.