Met Office forecasts a 'green Christmas' in the UK

Jake Lapham
BBC News
Louise Lear
BBC Weather

People across much of the UK should be safe to leave their winter layers and umbrellas at home on Christmas Day, as a run of unseasonably mild weather continues.

Highs of between 11C and 13C are forecast, lower than the warmest Christmas on record back in 1920 when it was 15.6C in Devon.

A blanket of cloud will greet early risers on Christmas morning, with the threat of rain isolated to the western and northern isles of the UK, and around the Highlands' Great Glen.

There is "no snow expected anywhere in the UK", Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said. "It will be a green Christmas."

"Great news if you do have travel plans over the next few days, no weather warnings are expected, no disruptive weather but... not great news if you want a festive feel and certainly no snow or frost on the way," he added.

This Christmas Eve was the warmest on record for Northern Ireland, with Magilligan on the north coast reaching 14.3C.

On Wednesday, Scotland and Northern Ireland can expect spells of rain but the rest of the UK is predicted to stay dry.

Boxing Day will almost be a case of spot-the-difference when we look out of our windows.

The first signs of a change will arrive late on Friday, Lear said, as north-westerly winds introduce colder air across Scotland.

But those chasing the dream of a white Christmas will have to look to continental Europe this year.

Fresh snowfall is expected in northern Scandinavia, the Apennine Mountains in central Italy and parts of the Balkans.

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Christmas Day weather records

Christmas Eve as seen by BBC Weather Watchers around the UK: