UK weather – live: Met Office issues danger to life warning as Britain braces for Christmas cold snap

Odds on a White Christmas continue to fall with William Hill, with Glasgow now priced at just 6/5 to see snow on December 25th.

Across Scotland’s central belt, Edinburgh (5/4) is deemed next most likely to have snowfall on Christmas Day, ahead of Aberdeen at 2/1.

In England, Newcastle (2/1) is most likely to be coated in snow on Christmas morning, followed by Leeds (5/2) and Manchester (3/1), while seeing Christmas Day snow in London is a 7/1 chance.

In their long range forecast looking ahead from Monday 1 January until Monday 15 January, the Met Office said: “Most likely continuing unsettled with bands of rain crossing the UK with brighter conditions and showers in between.

“The wettest and windiest conditions are most likely in the north and west. Short-lived colder spells remain possible, with hazards such as snow and ice, particularly in the north.

“The chance of these colder spells slightly increases moving through January, with a low likelihood of a more prolonged spell of cold weather developing around mid-month.”

It is highly likely there will be a white Christmas this year with snow expected in the north of the UK, the Met Office said.

The forecaster said it had a “high degree of confidence” the UK would see snow this Christmas, but this did not mean the country would be covered in blankets of snow.

Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told The Independent: “We can say with a high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year.

“However that does not mean we will see blankets of snow. It is more likely we will see snow in higher parts of the UK like the northern Pennines or Scottish Highlands.”

The possibility of snow falling across the UK over the festive period follows the icy conditions that hit the north-west of England at the beginning of the month.

Hundreds of homes in Cumbria were left without power, while the police declared a major incident and urged people not to travel to the county unless necessary.

The Met Office has issued a danger to life warning for large swathes of the UK amid strong winds and wintery showers in the lead-up to Christmas.

The yellow warning was issued all day on Thursday and stretches from Norfolk all the way up to the northern-most point of Scotland.

Ahead of temperatures dropping, the UK will experience a mainly cloudy day on Monday, with heavy rain falling at times in the west.

The Met Office said: “Southeast England should see some brightness, whilst sunny spells and showers develop across Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it will feel a little cooler.”

As for tonight, further heavy rain will arrive from the southwest and spread to England and Wales, while Scotland and northern Ireland remain drier with scattered showers.

Further locally heavy rain arrives from the southwest, spreading to most of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland staying drier, cooler with scattered showers in the north.

The Met Office has forecast “unsettled” weather leading to the weekend before Christmas.

Read the full article here

In their long range weather forecast, which looks at Friday 22 December until Sunday 31 December, the forecaster has warned of a chance of potential snowfall across the hills in the north.

They said: “Unsettled with milder, mobile spells of wind and rain, and briefer colder interludes most likely. Initially, for the north, showers, heavy in places and wintry to low levels, with drier and brighter conditions further south.

“Lingering strong winds should ease early in the period. Milder conditions, likely returning for a time over the weekend.

“By the Christmas period, a chance of a colder, showery interlude with northerly winds potentially bringing some snowfall, mainly across hills in the north.

“However, this colder interlude could be short-lived, and may not reach the far south before a milder Atlantic, westerly flow, becomes re-established. This pattern most probable towards New Year’s Eve, with the majority of cloud and rain likely across the west, and drier and brighter conditions more probable in the east.”

The Met Office has released a video on social media depicting the weather forecast over the next five days, with conditions becoming gradually more unsettled.

While the southeast will enjoy brighter spells, the weather is due to turn colder in Scotland with scattered, windy showers expected on Tuesday. Strong winds are expected on Thursday across the UK, with conditions remaining unsettled by the weekend.

Welcome to our live coverage as the Met Office issues its latest update on the possibility of a White Christmas.

Follow here for all the latest news.