The UK must endure one more day of bitterly cold weather before temperatures soar to as high as 14C on Monday. It signals the end of a fairly lengthy period of icy conditions — but it also means the likelihood of a white Christmas will recede with the warmer temperatures.
Freezing rain and snow will batter parts of the country today (Sunday, Dec 18) leading to ice build-up of 2-3mm on untreated surfaces, causing treacherous travel conditions and possible road closures.
But within 24 hours, temperatures are expected to jump 15 degrees with the cold snap being replaced with warmer weather as milder air comes in from the Atlantic. Daytime maximum temperatures across the UK on Monday will range from 11C to 14C – in stark contrast to the chilly temperatures recorded over the last week.
On Tuesday, the mercury plunged to minus 17.3C in Braemar in Scotland – the coldest temperature since February 11 2021. On more recent nights, other places around the country have recorded lows of minus 10C to minus 15C.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said both daytime and night-time temperatures are expected to increase over the next couple of days. He told the PA news agency: “At the moment daytime temperatures are low single figures, and in places are staying below freezing under snow cover, so some areas are just a little bit below zero.
“But daytime temperatures by Monday, we’re looking at across the UK highs of 11C to 14C, so around about 15 degrees certainly higher than they’ve been.” Mr Petagna said people could expect a leap of “15 degrees or more” as some snow-covered spots could see an increase of more than 15 degrees.
On Saturday, temperatures in Aberdeen were expected to hit a high of 2C, rising sharply to 12C or 13C on Monday. In London, temperatures on Saturday were expected to hit a high of 5C, while on Monday they could hit 14C.
Mr Petagna said cold wind has been coming down from the north in the last week or 10 days, but this week winds are going to start coming in from the west or south west. “So it’s bringing milder air off the Atlantic, rather than coming down from the Arctic,” he said.
He said it was not unheard of to get temperatures in the low teens at this time of year, but said the contrast of going from very cold to very mild in a day or two was quite unusual. The Met Office issued a number of yellow warnings for snow, ice and rain around Britain on Sunday, as well as an amber warning for ice which covers north-east and north-west England, East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber from 9am to 8pm.
A level-three cold weather alert was issued by the UK Health Security Agency for all of England until midnight on Sunday, which it warned could “increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services”.
Peter Jenkins, director of campaigns at Water UK, advised that the rise in temperature could cause burst pipes. He said: “The recent freezing weather has been very disruptive to many people. The last thing we want is for people to experience further disruption as temperatures rise this weekend, putting many homes at risk of burst pipes due to freeze-thaw.
“That’s why we’re urging everyone to check their water pipes are well insulated now and to follow our simple tips to protect homes against weather conditions.”
Betting sites are now saying the odds of a white Christmas are less likely than last year, with wet and windy weather replacing the icy conditions.
Hills bookmakers are saying that the best chance of a white Christmas are to be found in Glasgow and Edinburgh, each having a 33.3 per cent chance of snowfall on December 25, at odds of 2/1.
Chances of a white Christmas
City |
Odds |
Glasgow |
2/1 |
Edinburgh |
2/1 |
Leeds |
7/2 |
Manchester |
7/2 |
London |
4/1 |
Newcastle |
4/1 |
Belfast |
9/2 |
Birmingham |
9/2 |
Cardiff |
8/1 |
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