'Notably high temperatures' over festive period quash dreams of a white Christmas

The sky full of colour before sunrise at St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the North East coast of England Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

Higher than average temperatures this Christmas will put pay to any dreams of a white Christmas.

The Met Office has forecast a “mild Christmas” with “notably high temperatures” over the festive period.

The unseasonal mildness and settled period should at least make the Christmas getaway easier. The weather service said conditions “should not play a factor” in any disruption to roads over the next few days as people travel home for Christmas.

Christmas Eve is expected to be the mildest day, with temperatures of up to 15C in some places.

The Met Office said a mild Christmas Eve could be “quite widespread” from Torbay in Devon to the north east of Scotland. Temperatures in Scotland and Northern Ireland were “markedly above average for the time of year”.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said it would be a “mild Christmas” for many with “notably high temperatures” over the festive period, adding that this “doesn’t necessarily bring sunny skies unfortunately”.

Mr Claydon told the PA news agency: “The key notable factor of the weather through this week really is the mild conditions and higher temperatures.

“The risk of ice and any snow that we had over the weekend has diminished, and no notable heavy rain should bring any impacts to the transport network.”

Christmas Day on Wednesday would be a “little bit less mild” with “highs of 13C and maybe 14C”, he said.

Temperatures will likely fall towards the end of the week.

The period of calm weather follows a weekend of high winds that caused disruption over the weekend during the Christmas getaway period.

Belfast City Airport was forced to enact emergency procedures on Sunday after a plane’s nose wheel collapsed as it landed.

The incident forced the runway to close for the rest of the day.

In a statement on social media early on Monday, the airport confirmed the affected runway “has reopened and is operating as normal”.

Heathrow Airport confirmed around 100 flights were cancelled on Sunday as passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling.

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Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands were also cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes were axed.

Disruption continued as people were ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas.

The strongest wind speed over the weekend was 82mph recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and the South Uist Range in the Outer Hebrides.

The weekend’s lowest temperature was recorded at Killylane in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, where the mercury fell to minus 0.4C on Sunday.

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