Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK weather forecast: Warnings issued ahead of Christmas as ‘freezing fog patches’ hit country

Northern Ireland and Scotland will bear brunt of misty conditions 

Monday 24 December 2018 11:19 GMT
Comments
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Weather warnings are due to remain in place for parts of the UK on Christmas Day as dense fog and freezing fog patches linger.

Northern Ireland and central and south-west Scotland were expected to bear the brunt of the misty weather during the busy Christmas Eve travel period, and the Met Office extended its yellow warnings into Tuesday morning.

The weather may cause travel disruption for those still on the move in the south and east of England as well as the Midlands. The Met Office’s extended warning is in place until 11am on Tuesday.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “It will be a grey start for most. In the east it will be mostly dry, an odd spot of drizzle is possible in the west.”

Most of the country will have a cloudy day on Christmas but some areas will experience fog in the early morning and it may be slow to clear.

“Cloudy and generally dry on Christmas Day, although with some bright or sunny spells, mainly in the northeast. Early fog and low cloud may linger. Patchy drizzle for western parts,” the Met Office said.

Bookmakers Coral had issued odds of 1-4 that there would be a white Christmas with snow anywhere in the UK but that now seems to be unlikely.

Mr Dewhurst said there was “probably a low chance” of a white Christmas.

“But it only takes one flake to fall, so I would not rule it out yet. But at this stage, it’s looking greener than whiter,” he added.

Temperatures are expected to be average for the time of year, with 5-9C predicted in the east and 11-12C in the west.

Later in the week there will be a mixture of misty conditions and sunny spells, with the potential for overnight frost if skies are clear.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in