It's going to be an unsettled Christmas, some will see some snow, but it's going to be reserved for the hills of Northern Britain in the main.
Seasons greetings to all, in what will be an unsettled Christmas.
It'll be mild in the South but colder in the North where some parts, mainly on hills, will see a white Christmas. We've already seen some snow over parts of Scotland overnight, but this coupled with patchy rain over central parts will fade. Further North, there'll be some winter sunshine, and it'll be mainly dry, apart from a few light showers, which will be wintry on hills towards North and East facings coasts. Southern Scotland will be mostly cloudy but with a few brighter intervals. Here too, mostly light patchy rain could fall as snow over the Southern Uplands, perhaps bringing a dusting to the higher peaks later.
While a few places, mainly across the Midlands, are beginning bright, it's a damp, gloomy start to Christmas Eve for most of England and Wales. We have extensive areas of mist and fog locally dense that'll linger or lift into very low cloud. This is giving drizzle in places, with an Atlantic system already bringing heavier bursts of rain to the South West, spreading to Northern Ireland, Wales, much of the Midlands and the South later in a dank, very misty day for most.
It'll be mild here in winds from a southerly quarter, with top temperatures 8 to 10C, perhaps 11C in the South West where you may see it turning finer before dusk. After a sharp frost in some sheltered Highland glens, it'll be colder over Scotland and the far North East of England, where temperatures will struggle to reach 4 to 6C in an Easterly breeze.
After dark, the southern half of England, Wales and Northern Ireland remain overcast, with further sporadic bursts of rain and drizzle. It'll also be very misty with fog, particularly on hills, that'll become dense again locally where you see any breaks in the cloud sheet these mostly in the South. Winds between East and South give another mild night, especially in the far South, with the lowest temperatures 6 to 10C.
Northern England and The Borders are colder in a raw Easterly breeze, with primarily patchy light rain and drizzle. This'll fall as snow on the Southern Uplands and hills further South, perhaps bringing a slight covering to the higher peaks by morning. Further North still, it remains mostly dry with clear spells, especially towards Highland. Here some sheltered glens see temperatures falling as low as -8C, but -2 to +3 will be a general minimum.
Christmas Day sees the colder air further South, but in the South, it remains mild. Where the two air masses meet, it'll be dull with rain, drizzle and hill snow that could give a 'white' Christmas as far South as the Peak District and North Wales mountains. In the South, you may see the odd brighter interval, but with a lot of dull, misty weather generally and patchy fog. There'll also be some drizzle, with heavier rain moving in from the southwest later. The far North of England and Scotland see some sunshine where it's mainly dry, apart from a few wintry showers in the East. An East wind will feel raw with maximum temperatures here only 3 to 5C, but expect 6 to 9C across southern England.
After dark, very misty conditions work their way slowly North into Northern Ireland, Wales and much of England. There'll be bursts of rain, drizzle and hill snow over the Pennines and perhaps the Southern Uplands by morning. Over Scotland, it remains much the same in another cold night, with a few wintry showers mainly in the East. Lowest temperatures here -3 to +3C in an East wind, but further South expect a much milder 5 to 8C in a primarily light South East or southerly breeze.
