This list has been compiled from CET records after we experienced the coldest December for more than a century in Durham. In a climate that has shown a seemingly inexorable rise in temperature, December 2010 came as a huge shock to the system.
Christmas Day 2010 ranks third in a series going back to 1772, marginally behind 1830.
Coldest Christmas Days on the CET record
-10.8 degC 1796
-6.6 degC 1830
-5.9 degC 2010
-5.8 degC 1878
-5.1 degC 1779
November 2010 also contained one of the coldest ever days recorded in that calendar month, coming in at -4.0 degC on 28th. It also ranks 3rd in all-time cold November days.
The Coldest Christmas Day in Durham
This record is held by December 25th 1860. The minimum was -16.4 degC, and never rose above -4.6 degC for the 24hr duration, giving an average for the day of -10.5 degC.
Christmas days are often romanticised on Christmas cards as being cold and snowy, but that really is a legacy from Dickens and the 19th century. In reality, snow on Christmas Day is getting less common, but people still try to beat the bookies every year.
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