HAVE a flutter... on a Christmas flutter!

If you’re the gambling kind then it might just be worth betting on a white Christmas this year.

While forecasters say it is too early to predict whether a dollop of snow will fall on Suffolk on December 25, they admit the conditions are likely to be right for it.

It would be the first time flakes have fallen in Suffolk on Christmas Day for more than 40 years.

Chris Bell, a forecaster with WeatherQuest, said the below average temperatures which are expected to begin this weekend could be a sign that a dusting of snow could arrive three weeks on Tuesday.

And he reckons it’s a worth a modest bet.

“It is quite early to be predicting a white Christmas,” he said.

“All we can really say is that temperatures are set to be below average and if that continues in the run up to Christmas then it could happen.

“This time of year, when colder temperatures are around then it can mean conditions are quite dry.

“I would say it’s worth putting a couple of quid on a white Christmas.”

Although snow has been on the ground on Christmas day in recent years, actual snow fall in the county on the big day hasn’t occurred since 1970.

The Yuletide spirit could well arrive in the county this weekend with a flurry of snow (and, sadly, some hail and sleet) forecast for Saturday.

Mr Bell said: “There is a chance of some snow during Saturday daytime but at the same time it could turn out to be nothing.

“It will be mostly more sleet and hail. Temperatures are below average for this time of year so it definitely is feeling a lot colder at the moment.

“Average daytime temperatures for this time of year are 8C/46F and this weekend we will be getting temperatures between 3C/37F and 5C/41F. Night-time temperatures in the west of the county could get down as low as -3C/27F when the average is around 2C/36F. It will certainly feel very cold at night-time because of that drop in temperatures.

“If we do get a dusting of snow – and there is a chance of a wintery front – then it will be Saturday.”

Staff at Bradfields Bookmakers in Selkirk Road said the current odds for a white Christmas stand at 7/2.

They only pay out if snow falls on the weather centre in London and if the snow is a measurable amount. The odds for no snowfall on Christmas Day are 1/6.