The Met Office has shared an insight into the conditions expected next week
The Met Office has shared an insight into the conditions expected next week
As we head into Christmas week, the weather pattern begins to shift. It has been a wet and miserable December for the UK so far and as Christmas Day is almost upon us, many people will be keeping an eye out on the forecast as travel arrangements and plans are made.
The Met Office has shared an insight into the conditions expected next week, it said: “By Tuesday and Christmas Eve, there is around a 50% to 60% chance that high pressure will be centered just to the north of the UK, bringing a marked change in conditions.
“This setup would lead to a much quieter spell of weather, with drier conditions for most areas. The exact position of the high will determine local details, but the general theme is one of stability after a turbulent start to December.”
For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the weather is expected to be “largely settled”, with light winds, dry conditions, and some sunshine possible. However, the air circulating will come from the east, the weather agency said: “at this time of year, that often means colder air.”
Currently, temperatures across much of Europe are not as low as they might typically be at this point in winter, so while an easterly breeze will introduce chillier conditions, it is not expected to deliver a sharp drop in temperature.
Most places will see daytime highs a few degrees below average. Overnight frosts will become more frequent, especially in rural areas, and some mist and fog patches are likely to form.
On the possibility of a white Christmas, the Met Office has shared some insight. It said: “While it’s too early to say with certainty, a few wintry showers may develop around some eastern coasts during the Christmas period.
“Any snow that does fall looks likely to be light and patchy, with no sign at present of anything widespread or disruptive. Technically, only one snowflake recorded anywhere in the UK is needed for it to be a ‘white Christmas’, so it remains a possibility, albeit a slim one this year.”
Tom Morgan, operational meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “We are confident that next week we’ll see a transition to much drier conditions.
“That’s primarily because high pressure is going to dominate the UK. And through this month, so far, it’s been low pressure that’s been bringing the very, very wet weather that we’ve seen.”
Forecasters at BBC Weather also say a White Christmas is “unlikely” for most. Their forecast for next week states: “With easterly winds temperatures should come down day by day to end up near the December average.
“By the end of the week high pressure could shift further west at high latitudes, towards Iceland and the northern North Atlantic. This would introduce north-east to north-westerly wind flows and chances of some colder air.”
