A snowman melts in London's Hyde Park. Snow at Christmas is predicted to become an extremely rare event in Europe and America later this century.
The odds of experiencing a white Christmas in countries that celebrate the Christian holiday in the Northern Hemisphere have begun to diminish within the last century due to global warming, climate experts said.
Despite the near-blizzard conditions across North America and parts of Europe this month, having a winter wonderland in late December in London and Paris could be only a freak occurrence by 2100, according to Friedrich-Wilhelm Gerstengarber, climate researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
"The conditions for cross-country skiing are also deteriorating," said Paal Prestrud, director of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
"There is now an average of 100 days (a year) with at least 10 inches (25 centimetres) snow (in Oslo). In 1900 that was 150."
Oslo's streets were described as being free of snow this Christmas Eve.
Photo: Martin Garnham - Fotolia