UK snow: Met Office gives verdict on white Christmas as they confirm who will see snow

UK snow: Met Office gives verdict on white Christmas as they confirm who will see snow

The latest weather forecast for GB News from the Met Office

GB News/Met Office
George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 19/12/2023

- 07:48

Updated: 19/12/2023

- 08:14

It is set to be an unsettled festive period

The Met Office has confirmed that 'technically speaking' a white Christmas is very likely.

Temperatures are set to drop to as low as -8C in northern Scotland towards this weekend.


In the eyes of the Met Office, it is officially classed as a white Christmas if a single snowflake falls on the ground in the 24 hours of December 25.

The Scottish Highlands and the northern Pennines are the two areas most likely to see some snow this Christmas.

dragging a sled through the snow

The Met Office said there could be some chance of a White Christmas

PA

Some parts of the UK are expected to wake up on Christmas Day with some frost, particularly in northern rural areas.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Helen Caughey said: "As we begin Christmas Day wintry showers initially feeding in across the north in the colder air mass would technically make it a white Christmas, as we only need to see a single flake falling.

"Elsewhere, while it is likely at first to be mostly dry there is the potential for rain approaching from the west later on. As this moves east, we may see rain turning to snow, at least over high ground.

"It’s unlikely that we will see widespread or settling snow giving any proper accumulations. Although technically it might be a white Christmas, don’t get your hopes up for a picture-perfect white landscape."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

The Met Office said "don’t get your hopes up" for wintry scenes

Getty

The last time the UK had a picturesque white Christmas was in 2010.

A yellow warning for wind was issued for Scotland, Northern Ireland and swathes of northern England on Thursday.

Gusts are expected of up to 80mph on exposed coasts and to the east of high ground.

Frequent showers are expected in western areas with the southeast of the UK remaining mostly dry.

More unsettled Atlantic conditions are set to return from the west later on Christmas Day or early on Boxing Day.

Looking towards the New Year, the Met Office is predicting further unsettled periods.

Low pressure is expected to bring breezy and wet conditions for the majority of the country.

The first week of January is set to see short-lived colder spells, with a potential for hazards such as snow and ice, particularly in the north.

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