Christmas Day weather forecast Scotland: Met Office predicts 'cold and bright' weather instead of 'White Christmas' snow

Despite some bookies cashing in on Scotland’s Capital as their favourite for a White Christmas of snow, weather experts have said it is likely to be simply ‘cold and bright’ across Scotland and the rest of the UK on the day of festive cheer.

A white Christmas could be possible for some northern parts of the UK while much of the country is likely to see cold and bright weather, according to the Met Office.

Unsettled weather in the lead-up to Christmas is forecast to give way to colder, clearer conditions on December 25 which could lead to snow in higher grounds like the hills, the weather service said.

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However, Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern noted that ‘a lot can change between now and the big day’ for the weather.

Weather experts have said it is likely to be simply ‘cold and bright’ across Scotland and the rest of the UK on Christmas Day (georgeclerk / Getty Images / Canva Pro).Weather experts have said it is likely to be simply ‘cold and bright’ across Scotland and the rest of the UK on Christmas Day (georgeclerk / Getty Images / Canva Pro).
Weather experts have said it is likely to be simply ‘cold and bright’ across Scotland and the rest of the UK on Christmas Day (georgeclerk / Getty Images / Canva Pro).

But some may have noticed on their smart phones, if you use The Weather Channel app, that Edinburgh and Glasgow are 80% likely to see snow on Christmas Eve and there is a 70% chance of snowfall on Christmas in Scotland’s major cities.

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Bookmaker Coral has also said that Edinburgh is topping the betting for the most likely to see snow with Newcastle and Glasgow just behind.

Yet Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth told the PA news agency: “We’re expecting to see some snow in the lead-up to Christmas, but it is likely to be over high ground and if anything did fall at lower levels, we anticipate that to largely be quite sleety and to not last very long.”

On the forecast for the week ahead, she said Sunday’s foggy, murky weather will clear for a cloudy but brighter Monday.

Skies will clear further into Tuesday, which, after a frosty start, will be bright and sunny, and is “likely to be the best day of the week”.

Wednesday will bring increasingly mild and unsettled weather.

On Thursday and Friday, there is likely to be a contrast in conditions for the north and the south.

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Areas south of Wales could see milder temperatures, cloud and rain, while anywhere north from there could have more colder and brighter weather.

Ms Shuttleworth said: “It’s that boundary between the cold and the warm air which is where the uncertainty is, and that’s where the greatest risk of seeing any snow or sleet is.”

That is most likely across the Midlands, northern England and Scotland, the forecaster said.

She added: “We could see that colder weather push further south, so more areas seeing that colder, clearer weather by Christmas Day”.

In the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the Met Office expects more settled, dry, calm and cold weather.

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