Temperatures drop, bringing snow and ice warnings, but it doesn't mean we'll have a white Christmas
Parts of Britain could be in line for a white Christmas, with a cold snap starting this week.
The Met Office has forecast ice and freezing temperatures for Monday, and some parts of the country already had two inches of snow on Sunday night.
A yellow weather warning was in place for parts of the country on Monday, with the Met Office warning that temperatures would plummet “widely below zero”, leading to icy stretches on the roads and up to 2cm of snow.
The lowest minimum temperature was recorded at Kinbrace in the Scottish Highlands, where the mercury dropped to -3.6C.
Watch out for icy stretches during Monday's morning rush hour, especially in parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/4FolxEY7XH
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 16, 2019
Forecasts for Monday warned of some hill snow in Scotland, while the rest of the country was likely to experience rain showers, with similar conditions on Monday night along with frost and some freezing fog.
Conditions are due to get milder later in the week, with strong winds and rain and possible gales.
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Asked about a possibility of a white Christmas, a Met Office spokesman said it was a bit too far ahead to firmly predict what the weather will do next week.
Forecasters are predicting it to be changeable and sometimes windy through Christmas, he said.
We've got a big contrast in #temperature across the UK this morning. It's frosty in the north, but milder across much of the south pic.twitter.com/t1stRemSdb
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 16, 2019
The Met Office’s long-range forecast predicts sunshine on Friday followed by a period of unsettled weather with bands of rain and strong winds – though some parts of the north could get snow.
“Changeable and sometimes windy conditions will probably last for the rest of the period,” it said.
“Most of the rain will probably be in the west with drier spells more likely in the East and South East.
“Snow may occur at times in the north, mainly on high ground. There remains a chance of brief drier, colder interludes, with an increased risk of frost and fog.”
William Hill is offering odds on a white Christmas in various parts of the country.
Odds of snow on Christmas Day are 9/4 in Edinburgh, 3/1 in Newcastle and 6/1 in Liverpool and London. Penzance is at 12/1, while Birmingham is at 9/2.
