Britain unlikely to see a white Christmas, says Met Office

On Christmas Day another storm is forecast to pass close to the Northern Isles, sending wet and windy weather southeastwards across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Sunday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a chance of rain after midnight, according to the weather service.

Conor Faughnan, from AA Roadwatch, warned changes in driving routines over the Christmas period and bad weather were a “recipe for danger”. High temperatures Wednesday afternoon will drop to the mid 40s before climbing into the upper 40s Thursday and the 50s by Friday. “Snow will mix with rain showers mid to late morning”.

Our Wednesday may only be a little more than nine hours long in terms of daylight, but we should see sunshine for all nine of those hours as winter begins on a sunny and seasonable note.

“If you want to see snow on the ground”, Bowen said, “you probably won’t have to go that far east in the Cascades”. Drier air will work in by Christmas Eve night, just in time for Santa’s flight thru New England. The forecast for this holiday estimates a high of near 37 degrees and a low of around 15. The warmest Christmas was in 2015 with a high of 54 degrees Fahrenheit in Bangor, tying the previous record set in 2014. If not, perhaps the increasingly mild forecast between now and the end of the year will.

Tuesday: Cloudy. Chance for a rain or snow shower.

“Unfortunately the winds will also wreak havoc within this period and some moderate to severe damage can be expected in places”.

They say bridges, ferry services and flights are likely to be affected by the high winds, so travellers are being advised to avoid unnecessary journeys during the peak of the storm. Christmas looks very unsettled, with 50-70mph wind gusts possible on Friday and Christmas Eve.

“The rain is likely to turn heavy before clearing to scattered showers on Sunday and staying windy”.