White Christmas declared despite warm temperatures for parts of UK
Forecasters have officially declared a white Christmas with snow falling across parts of Scotland, after the record for the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day was broken further south.
Snow, sleet and rain moved across parts of Scotland, with Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore recording flakes falling, the Met Office announced on X, formerly Twitter.
Monday was made an “official white Christmas” by the Met Office - defined by it as a single snowflake falling on December 25.
The declaration follows the Met Office provisionally recording the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record.
Temperatures at Exeter Airport and East Malling, Kent, have not fallen below 12.4C, beating the previous record of 11.5C measured at Waddon in Croydon in 1983.
In terms of maximum temperatures, the mercury hit 13.6C at Exeter Airport and Merryfield in Somerset, which makes Monday the warmest December 25 since 2016.
Forecasters had thought this year could be the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, with predicted highs of 14C, and maximum temperatures could still change.
The Met Office announced the minimum temperature record on X on Monday morning, posting: “It has been a very mild 24 hours across parts of the UK.
“Provisionally this Christmas we have recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, with both Exeter Airport and East Malling not falling below 12.4C.”
The warmest December 25 on record was 15.6C in 1920, while the highest Christmas Eve temperatures of 15.5C were set in Aberdeen and Banff in Scotland in 1931.
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