White Christmas 'likely' despite warmest Christmas Eve for more than 25 years

24 December 2023 , 18:47

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Some parts of Britain could enjoy a White Christmas this year despite exceptionally mild temperatures (Image: PA)

Britain is likely to see some snow on December 25 - despite having just experienced the warmest Christmas Eve in over 20 years.

Temperatures in Heathrow, south-west London, hit 15.3C on Sunday - well above average for the time of year - making it the warmest December 24 since 1997. Christmas Day is also set to be the hottest in years, with parts of the UK expected to hit 14C.

But despite a White Christmas being ruled out for most of the nation, one area is on track for flakes to fall, according to weather forecasters - the mountains of northern Scotland. For other parts of the UK, Christmas Day will be slightly cooler than yesterday but remain far warmer than the seasonal average.

Weather map for Christmas Day

Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “The temperatures will peak today, 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 tomorrow, we’re probably looking the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, when we actually hit 15.1C.”

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. Mr Stroud said the UK is drawing in southern, warmer air. Monday is set to be damp for much of the country, with heavy rain possible in Wales. Two separate yellow wind warnings were issued by the Met Office in Scotland and northern and central areas of England for Christmas Eve, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

Forecasters say gusts of up to 56mph hit parts of the Isle of Wight and Northern Ireland on Sunday morning. Wind speeds of up to 70mph were recorded in Scotland later in the day, reaching 60mph in the north-east of England. Met Office forecaster Liam Eslick said: “It’s been an exceptionally mild couple of days across all of the UK, temperatures have been well above average for the time of year, the maximum for December being 7C. Temperatures today have reached 15C in quite a few locations across the UK, the highest being 15.3C in two locations – one in Heathrow and one in Cippenham, Berkshire.”.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas