LONG-RANGE forecasts show Basingstoke could be in for a white Christmas this year.

Experts at AccuWeather say Basingstoke could see dustings of white over the Christmas period with the first snowflake predicted to fall on December 18.

Temperatures are expected to dip to -1 overnight in the days leading up to December 25 making the perfect conditions for snow fall.

The weather experts have predicted snow showers on December 22 and on Christmas eve and Boxing day.

But with just half a centimetre predicted on each day it is unlikely that the snow fall will cause any disruption to normal life.

In contradiction to the forecast the Met Office say they can only accurately forecast if snow is likely on any given Christmas Day "up to five days beforehand".

Currently, the Met Office’s long range forecasts only run until early November.

That’s because “when looking at forecasts beyond five days into the future the chaotic nature of the atmosphere starts to come into play,” they say.

Technically, 2017 was the last white Christmas, and was actually the second one in consecutive years, following a similar Christmas in 2016.

However, neither Christmas saw widespread snow, and there were no reports of snow actually settling on the ground.

The last Christmas that could be considered a true white Christmas was 2010. That year, snow coverings were reported by 83% of the weather stations used by the Met Office to monitor snowfall, the highest amount ever recorded.

According to AccuWeather December will also bring with it plenty of sunny spells making it the month perfect for outside festivities.