Climate change could wipe out white Christmases in the UK

Building a snowman, sledding and snowball fights could become much rarer in the future according to weather experts.

Scientists at the Met Office, who study weather and climate, have and said that climate change is threatening to wipe out snowy days in the UK.

They suggest that by 2040, some parts of England could no longer see sub-zero days and by the 2060s, only the highest parts of Northern Scotland will get snow.

It could mean the end of sledging, snowmen and snowball fights. "We're saying by the end of the century much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground," says Dr Lizzie Kendon, a senior Met Office scientist who worked on the report.

The projections are based on global emissions getting worse, however, they say if global emissions are reduced significantly, the changes will be less dramatic.

Average temperatures 2019 and what scientists predict could happen in 2040 - but things could improve if global emissions reduce over the next few years.

Climate scientists say that some years still may see days colder than the average and that these predictions explore how the UK's overall climate might change.

"The overarching picture is warmer, wetter winters; hotter, drier summers," Dr Kendon says.

Most of the country has already seen average temperatures rise by 1C since the Industrial Revolution and we should expect more of the same, he warns.

The end of sledging and snowball fights in the UK?

That may not sound like much, but even these small changes in our climate can have a huge impact on the weather and on many plants and animals.

"The rate and nature of the climate change that we're seeing is unprecedented," says Dr Mark McCarthy of the Met Office's National Climate Information Centre.

The weather scientists also say there may be more extreme weather, so more frequent and intense heat in the summer or heavier rainfall.

But if the world can reduce emissions, by using more renewable energy, using more electric cars, creating less waste and finding more energy efficient ways of living, these temperature rises will be a lot smaller.

Could scenes like this in London be a thing of the past soon?

Last week, the UK government announced new targets for tackling climate change.

The new goal is to cut the UK's greenhouse gas emission by 68% by 2030.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes the new targets will set an example to other nations.