The chance of a white Christmas next weekend is minimal, weather forecasters say. Instead, December 25 and 26 will be windy, as warm as 10 degrees during the day and rain is very likely.

Last year was the warmest Christmas on record, with the temperature reaching a mild 14 degrees on December 26.

Weather forecaster Matthijs van der Linden from website Weeronline said there is always intense speculation about the chances of a white Christmas. ‘The uniqueness means a white Christmas has an almost mythical atmosphere,’ he told website Nu.nl last week.

Snow at Christmas is rare in the Netherlands. The last time there was any snow was in 2010 but there have only been handful of Christmases with good snow coverage since records began in 1903.