Snow and frosty conditions to hit parts of UK over Christmas period - here's the weather outlook

Will it be a white Christmas this year?  (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Will it be a white Christmas this year?  (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Will it be a white Christmas this year? (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The weather of late has been a mixed bag, with cooler temperatures, rain, frost and bursts of winter sunshine.

But what is the weather set to be like over Christmas?

Here’s what you need to know.

What will the weather be like in the run up to Christmas?

Although it’s still a little too early to know for certain what the weather will be like on Christmas Day, conditions are set to be a mixture of both settled and unsettled in the lead up to Christmas and over the festive period, with some wintry conditions expected.

The Met Office forecast for this weekend said there will be low cloud and fog persisting across England and Wales, with clear spells for parts of Scotland, west Wales and southwest England where a frost is possible in places.

There will also be some sunny spells for Scotland and west Wales, with some light rain and drizzle arriving in the far northeast later.

The Met Office outlook for Monday (20 December) to Wednesday (22 December) said most places will stay dry, but with more sunshine by day than of late, especially across the south.

However, it will be cold with overnight frosts and perhaps some rain into the far southwest late on Wednesday.

What will the weather be like over the Christmas period?

Looking further ahead over the festive period, the Met Office said there is an increasing chance the high pressure will move allowing for more unsettled and windier weather to affect the UK with rain, and perhaps snow, possible for some places.

Met Office Expert Meteorologist, Dan Rudman, said: “There is still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast for the Christmas period. Whilst there is certainly a risk of wintry conditions for many places, other outcomes are still possible such as warmer air to move across the UK bringing rain widely with any potential snow being restricted to higher ground and the far north.

“We will continue to keep an eye on developments over the coming days and update as the level of certainty increases.”

According to Oddschecker, it’s currently 4/9 odds for snow in Aberdeen on Christmas Day, 6/4 for snow in Newcastle and 5/2 for a white Christmas in Edinburgh.