Christmas Weather Forecast Scotland: Here's what weather is expected to be like over the festive period - including the chances of snow

It’s less than a week until the big day – so what can we expect the notoriously changable Scottish climate to deliver on Christmas.

In the last week alone we’ve had everything from snow and temperatures of less than -9C, to unseasonably warm weather where the mercury has topped 14C.

Against this background it would seem to be a challenge to forecast what exactly will happen on Christmas Day – but here’s the meteorologists’ best guess.

What is the Met Office forecast for Scotland over the Christmas period?

The Met Office have the following long range forecast for the Christmas weekend and beyond:

"Confidence is unusually low for the Christmas weekend; a north/south divide with cold air, wintry showers and increased risk of more significant snow in the north, and milder conditions with rain and showers in the south, is likely, but where the boundary will be is very uncertain. Eventually, as we head towards the New Year, the colder conditions are more likely to come to dominate, with wintry showers in the north and potential for a more settled spell to develop. This would bring below average temperatures, potential for areas of freezing fog with widespread overnight frosts, and very low temperatures given any snow cover. Towards the end of the period, there are signs of a trend towards more changeable weather, with an upturn in temperatures.”

What is the Met Office forecast for Christmas Eve?

In Edinburgh, the current forecast for Christmas Eve is for it to be dry with a mix of sunshine and cloud and temperatures to range from 2C-4C.

Depending on who you believe, it might be sunny, snowy, cloudy or raining this Christmas.

In Glasgow, early sun will give way to overcast skies for the majority of the day, with temperatures of 2C-3C.

Meanwhile in Aberdeen it’s expected to be clear in the morning and sunny in the afternoon, with temperatures from 4C-5C.

What is the Met Office forecast for Christmas Day?

In Edinburgh, the current forecast for Christmas Day is for a dry day with extended sunny spells and temperatures ranging from 1C-2C.

It’s expected to be chillier and sunnier in Glasgow, with temperatures dropping down to -2C and skies remaining clear for most of the day.

And in Aberdeen it’s predicted to be 3C-4C with mainly sunny skies.

Do other forecasts vary?

As the Met Office’s long range forecast indicates, it’s particularly challenging to predict the festive weather this year, with other forecasters expecting very different conditions.

Accuweather, for instance, think that there may be snow showers on Christmas Eve in Edinburgh, with rain in much of the north of the country.

Meanwhile, The Weather Channel – which provides the data used by Apple’s weather app – predicts a 70-80% chance of snow in Scotland’s Central Belt on Christmas Day, and rain all weekend for Aberdeen.

What are the chances of a white Christmas?

Met Office experts say they’ll not be able to make an accurate prediction on the chances of snow until closer to the time, while not a single forecaster is predicting snow with any certainty.

However, the bookies reckon that there’s a fair chance – with odds of just 4/9 offered by William Hill for a single flake of snow to fall on either Edinburgh or Glasgow Airport.