Odd's shorten on a white Christmas - but will it reach Shepton Mallet?

Every year the old question comes up; will it be a white Christmas this year?  Well, 'Shaking Santa' tells us that there is a 10% chance in Southern England on Christmas day this year.  

'Shaking Santa' is the novel method they have chosen over at netweather.tv to give us an idea of whether or not we will be waking up or eating our turkey while looking out on the crisp picture-postcard images we witnessed last year.

This week we had our first fall of snow in Shepton Mallet, as has been captured in the picture above, kindly sent in by Sandra Davis.  The image shows a dusting of snow reflecting the glorious winter sunshine on Wednesday.  Bookies have taken a 'flurry' (I am so sorry) of bets on there being a white Christmas and odds have shortened, with a bet on Manchester getting a white Christmas only offering a 3-1 return from Ladbrokes.

The unlikely 10% likelihood that shaking santa gives us can be taken with the proverbial pinch of the other white stuff;  those of us who have seen many winters come and go in Shepton Mallet know only too well, that despite there not being the obligatory snowfall on broadcasting house, we have seen snow fall many times.  Often, as we know too well, it can be snowing in Shepton, Oakhill or Doulting when there is nothing but rain in even slightly lower lying areas, such as West Pennard or Wells.

Wrap up warm and be prepared, this could well be a picture postcard Christmas to remember, in Shepton Mallet at least!