UK weather: Christmas washout as rain & wind batter the country in balmy 14C temperatures – as some could see SNOW
BRITS are waking up to a Christmas washout with rain and wind set to batter the country.
The UK is seeing an unseasonably warm festive season with the mercury hitting as high as 14C temperatures – but some could still possibly see snow.
Yesterday was the hottest Christmas eve in 25 years and today could also smash records.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “The temperatures will peak on December 24, there is a slight downward trend in temperatures for Christmas Day but we’re still expecting them to be comfortably above average.
“We’re looking at 13 and 14C, we’re probably looking at the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, when we actually hit 15.1C.”
The average maximum temperature for December is 7C.
However, some areas in northern Scotland are likely to see some snow, technically making it a White Christmas, which is defined by the Met Office as a single snowflake falling on December 25.
Monday will be “damp and miserable” for much of England and Wales.
Meanwhile northern areas, Scotland and Northern Ireland are forecast to have a mix of sunny spells and showers.
It comes after wind speeds of up to 70mph were recorded in Scotland, reaching 60mph in the north-east of England.
The warmest December 25 on record was 15.6C in 1920, while the highest Christmas Eve temperatures of 15.5C were set in Aberdeen and Banff in Scotland in 1931.
Met Office expert Stephen Dixon said: “As we get into Christmas Day, the outlook is looking rather unsettled at first.
“It’s looking likely that we’ll have rain across much of England and Wales and indeed some showers in parts of western and southern Scotland.
“This will gradually clear up during the day, some people may get a clearer spell in the afternoon, so an unsettled day.
“In terms of a white Christmas, it looks likely, with wintry showers possible over high ground in the far north of Scotland, but not widespread.”