These are the counties that are most likely to get a white Christmas

Could we be getting one this year?

It's not often that Ireland sees snow on Christmas Day, but it's happened before and it could happen again. If you do indeed have your fingers crossed for a white Christmas, then you should probably know that snow is more likely in some counties than others. PR agency Legacy Communications delved into the data using TimeAndDate.com and Met Eireann to see which counties are more likely to see snow on 25 December, and perhaps unsurprisingly, counties in the north have a higher chance, with Donegal and Tyrone leading the way, while Kerry and Waterford trailed in last place. The research ranked the counties in order from most likely to least likely by examining how often in the past 10 years each county exhibited the conditions necessary for snow to occur. Legacy consulted with expert Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather to determine exactly why it's so difficult to predict whether or not it will snow on Christmas in Ireland. He said: "When you look towards Christmas day then, people always talk about a White Christmas, it’s very very difficult to forecast that. We haven’t had a White Christmas since 2010, statistically, we would have had one every six years, so we are long overdue for a White Christmas. That doesn’t mean that we are going to see one but it does mean with the cold in December and maybe the chances are that we have a higher chance this year of a White Christmas if that cold can hang around." Alan also outlined why coastal counties are less likely to see snow than inland ones. "Being very close to the coast does mean you’re very close to the water which does mean that the air is modified and it might not be as cold on the coast," he said. "Very often in winter you might get snow in-land but you won’t get snow on the coast because the air is being warmed by the sea." Alan explained that the south and southwest tend to stay milder due to warm air, while the north draws down from an Arctic airmass.

Here is the full ranking:

1. Donegal
2. Tyrone
3. Westmeath
4. Fermanagh
5. Clare
6. Laois
7. Longford
8. Offaly
9. Roscommon
10. Wexford
11. Antrim
12. Armagh
13. Cavan
14. Louth
15. Monaghan
16. Wicklow
17. Carlow
18. Derry
19. Mayo
20. Tipperary
21. Cork
22. Down
23. Galway
24. Leitrim
25. Meath
26. Kilkenny
27. Sligo
28. Dublin
29. Kildare
30. Limerick
31. Derry
32. Waterford

Read more:

• Here are the Christmas movies joining streaming services this month
• Dundalk restaurant to offer free Christmas meals on 25 December for third year running
• Opinion: Don't point out your friends' eating or drinking habits this Christmas