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UK weather: all is bright for Christmas Day, forecasters say
UK weather: Christmas Day bright though not white, says Met Office
(about 13 hours later)
Early frost and fog to give way to sunshine across much of country, Met Office says
Early frost and fog to give way to sunshine in most places, say forecasters, with rain and wind to follow on Boxing Day
Almost all parts of the UK can expect fine weather on Christmas Day, according to the Met Office.
Those dreaming of a white Christmas will have to wait until at least next year, with the Met Office predicting plenty of frost and sunshine but no snow for Christmas Day.
After a frosty and foggy start to the day, people in most parts of the country are likely to see the wintry weather make way for sunshine.
Much of the UK will wake up to frosty and foggy conditions on Christmas morning, before the wintry weather lifts to make way for sunshine later in the day.
A white Christmas is not on the cards, according to the forecaster, and only mountainous areas in Scotland stand a chance of seeing any snow.
“Christmas Day is looking like a lovely day for pretty much the whole of the UK,” Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said.
“Christmas Day is looking like a lovely day for pretty much the whole of the UK,” the Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said.
“It is highly unlikely there will be any significant snowfall this year. If there is any snow, it will be over the tops of Scottish mountains, which we don’t class as a white Christmas.”
“It will be a cold start in the morning with some fog, but once that clears we are looking at a dry day across the country with sunny spells.”
Temperatures in Scotland are forecast to fall to lows of minus 3C and about 0C in England and Wales. That will increase to about 7C in northern parts of the UK and 8C in the South, the Met Office said.
Peak temperatures were likely to range from around 6C in northern parts of the UK to around 9C in the south, he said.
The thickest of the morning fog is likely to be in Wales and central and western parts of England.
The thickest of the morning fog was likely to be in Wales and central and western parts of England.
But the pleasant conditions will be shortlived, with rain and and wind forecast for parts of the UK throughout Boxing Day. The Environment Agency has also warned of potential flooding across England, due to further wet weather later in the week.
On Christmas Eve, the Met Office predicted thunderstorms in parts of south Wales and south-west England. A severe yellow weather warning stated there may be damage to a few buildings and power outages, with delays to rail or road journeys possible.
The UK has had a widespread coating of snow on Christmas Day only four times in the last 51 years, according to the Met Office, the most recent one being in 2010.
Dewhurst said there was unlikely to be any significant snowfall this year. “If there is any snow it will be over the tops of Scottish mountains, which we don’t class as a white Christmas.”
Christmas Day 2017 was technically recorded as “white” by the forecaster after 11% of weather stations reported snowfall, however none said that snow had settled. Last year there was no record of snow falling at any weather station in the UK.
The Met Office has to record a single snowflake falling at any one of a number of observation locations in the UK including Buckingham Palace, Edinburgh Castle and the Millennium Stadium in order to class a Christmas as white.
This has happened on 38 of the last 54 Christmas Days.
