Christmas Eve warmest in 20 years
The UK has seen its warmest Christmas Eve in more than 20 years.
Temperatures in Heathrow, south-west London, hit 15.3C on Sunday, well above average for the time of year, making it the warmest Dec 24 since 1997.
Christmas Day is also set to be the hottest in years with parts of the UK expected to hit 14C.
The 70mph winds hitting the UK have helped bring warmer temperatures to the south of England with the mercury expected to surpass the record of 15.6C set in Aberdeenshire in 1931.
The weather phenomenon known as the foehn effect has seen strong winds create warmer temperatures by changing wet and cold conditions on one side of a mountainous region to warmer and drier conditions on the other side.
Despite the rising temperatures in the south, snow will still fall in Scotland on Christmas Eve with showers potentially turning wintry.
Christmas Day is also expected to reach 14C in London, with forecasters suggesting it could also be the warmest on record if it surpasses the 15.6C set in 1920 in Killerton, Devon.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “Sunday is expected to be a very warm day for late December.
‘Potential for it to be warmest Christmas Eve on record’
“Some parts of the country expecting around 14 or even 15 and we can’t totally rule out an isolated 16C, so there is the potential for it to be the warmest Christmas Eve on record, but we’re probably looking at the warmest for about 20 years.”
He added: “The temperatures will peak today, there is a slight downward trend in temperatures for Christmas Day but we’re still expecting them to be comfortably above average.
“We’re looking at 13 and 14C tomorrow, we’re probably looking at the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, when we actually hit 15.1C.”
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.
Some snow is predicted on Christmas Day for the mountains in Scotland.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings covering Shetland and northeastern parts of Scotland.
Next stop Papua New Guinea 🎅 Where Santa will need his waterproofs 🎅 pic.twitter.com/rHkTC9vfk4
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 24, 2023
It warned of flying debris, power cuts and damage to buildings, while the rest of the country may see showers.
Monday is set to be damp for much of the country, with heavy rain possible in Wales.
The day will brighten up for many post-lunchtime.
