White Christmas? Met Office reveals where snow could fall with Christmas Day weather forecast
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailWith just hours to go until the big day, the Met Office has given its verdict on whether the UK will see a white Christmas this year. While temperatures will drop as low as -5C in parts of the country, it looks like snow will not be making an appearance on 25 December. Met Office spokesperson Oliver Claydon said a white Christmas was “highly unlikely” and that instead Christmas Day will be mostly dry and even see spells of sunshine.open image in galleryTemperatures will settle around 5C on Christmas Day (Met Office)“It will feel colder than of late with temperatures in the mid to high single figures,” he said. “It will feel especially cold across the windier south coast in the easterly wind“Parts of eastern Scotland and northeast England will be rather cloudy at times. The far southwest of England will also turn rather cloudy for a time, with cloud perhaps thick enough for a spot of rain. It will also be windy across England and Wales, especially in southern England where there is a risk of coastal gales.”While the Met Office has cast doubt on prospects of a white Christmas for most people, there’s a small chance that a smattering of snow may fall on Dartmoor, as afternoon rain showers push into parts of Devon and Cornwall on Christmas Day.open image in galleryBoxing Day will see temperatures plummet in the night (Met Office)Overall, the national weather picture for the Christmas period points to cold weather but blue skies. Brisk winds picking up from Christmas Eve on Wednesday will make the slightly below-average temperatures for this time of year feel close to freezing for much of the country. By Thursday evening, temperatures could plummet to as low as 2C in Scotland, Cardiff Bute and London.Northern Scotland is expected to see the coldest temperatures overnight, dropping as low as -5C.Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: “It will turn colder from Christmas Eve, with a strong wind across much of England and Wales, so temperatures on the thermometer will be a little bit below average: around 6C or 7C as a max, generally.“And then when you add on that wind chill of an easterly wind, it will probably feel more like freezing from Christmas Eve onwards.“It’s a bit colder than average, not unusual for the time of year, but in terms of averages, it would be a bit below.”Despite the cold end to the year, 2025 could still be the UK’s hottest year on record. The mean temperature for the year so far, as of 21 December, is tracking well ahead of the previous highest year set in 2022. The mean temperature is currently expected to settle at 10.05C, compared with 2022’s already record-breaking 10.03C. If confirmed, 2025 will be only the second year in observational records where the UK’s annual mean temperature has topped 10C.open image in galleryA white Christmas is not on the cards this year, forecasters say (PA)MET OFFICE FESTIVE OUTLOOKChristmas EveThe weather on Wednesday evening is set to be generally dry and cloudy, with clear spells likely in the far south and west, according to the Met Office. It is likely to be windy in the south with some fog forecasted in northern Scotland.Christmas DayThe forecast for Thursday will be mainly dry with some sunshine across the country. It is expected to be cloudier in the northeast, and thicker cloud could give patchy rain across west Cornwall. It will generally be cold everywhere with windy conditions in the south, forecasters say.Boxing DayThe weather will remain largely dry and settled on Boxing Day and onwards into the weekend. There is likely to be some clear or sunny spells, and it will remain cold and windy in the south, the latest Met Office outlook shows.
