UK Christmas forecast: Met Office warn of 'wintry showers' and cold conditions

20 December 2021, 06:24

Parts of the UK look likely to see a white Christmas this year, as unsettled and cold weather is forecast in the build up to December 25.

The Met Office have released their Christmas forecast which predicts "wintry showers" and "brighter colder conditions" on the big day.

High pressure continues to dominate the weather over the next few days keeping conditions overcast but dry across the UK.

However, as we head towards the end of the week and Christmas there is an increasing chance the high pressure will move allowing for more unsettled and windier weather to affect the UK with rain, and perhaps snow, possible for some places.

Met Office Expert Meteorologist, Dan Rudman, said: "There is still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast for the Christmas period.

"Whilst there is certainly a risk of wintry conditions for many places, other outcomes are still possible such as warmer air to move across the UK bringing rain widely with any potential snow being restricted to higher ground and the far north.

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"We will continue to keep an eye on developments over the coming days and update as the level of certainty increases."

The official Met Office forecast states from Wednesday: "A more unsettled period with rain, stronger winds, hill snow in the north, and possibly snow to lower levels later, mixed with brief settled spells."

Whilst from Christmas Day experts say: "Rain may turn wintry at times on the northern edge, most likely across central and northern areas, and mainly over higher ground.

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"Milder temperatures more likely in the south, with brighter colder conditions in the north with some wintry showers.

"Settled conditions look likely to return towards the end of December into the New Year with temperatures likely rather cold and the potential for overnight frost and an increasing risk of fog."

A Met Office spokesman previously told LBC, "the odds of a white Christmas aren't too low" and that it would not be "uncommon" to see a dusting on the 25th.

The meteorologist explained the cold air, coupled with rain coming in from the Atlantic, could provide perfect conditions for snow on Christmas Day, but he warned it was "too early to rule out rain or sleet".

Since 1960, around half of the years have seen at least 5 per cent of the Met Office network record snow falling on Christmas Day.

However, the Dickensian scene of widespread snow lying on the ground on Christmas Day is much rarer.

There has only been a widespread covering of snow on the ground, four times since 1960—in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.