UK weather- live: White Christmas ‘highly likely’ as Met Office issues danger to life warning

London: It is highly likely the UK is set for a white Christmas this year with snow expected in the north of the country, according to the Met Office.

The forecaster said it had a “high degree of confidence” the UK would see snow over the Christmas period, but this did not mean the country would be covered in blankets of snow.

“We can say with a high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year,” Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told The Independent.

“However that does not mean we will see blankets of snow. It is more likely we will see snow in higher parts of the UK like the North Pennines or Scottish Highlands.”

Despite warmer temperatures in the south of the UK, the forecaster said snow could not be ruled out completely in the region.

It comes as the Met Office issued a danger to life warning for large swathes of the UK amid strong winds and wintry showers in the lead-up to Christmas.

Odds on a White Christmas continue to fall with William Hill, with Glasgow now priced at just 6/5 to see snow on December 25th.

Across Scotland’s central belt, Edinburgh (5/4) is deemed next most likely to have snowfall on Christmas Day, ahead of Aberdeen at 2/1.

In England, Newcastle (2/1) is most likely to be coated in snow on Christmas morning, followed by Leeds (5/2) and Manchester (3/1), while seeing Christmas Day snow in London is a 7/1 chance.

In their long range forecast looking ahead from Monday 1 January until Monday 15 January, the Met Office said: “Most likely continuing unsettled with bands of rain crossing the UK with brighter conditions and showers in between.

“The wettest and windiest conditions are most likely in the north and west. Short-lived colder spells remain possible, with hazards such as snow and ice, particularly in the north.

“The chance of these colder spells slightly increases moving through January, with a low likelihood of a more prolonged spell of cold weather developing around mid-month.”

It is highly likely there will be a white Christmas this year with snow expected in the north of the UK, the Met Office said.

The forecaster said it had a “high degree of confidence” the UK would see snow this Christmas, but this did not mean the country would be covered in blankets of snow.

Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told The Independent: “We can say with a high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year.

“However that does not mean we will see blankets of snow. It is more likely we will see snow in higher parts of the UK like the northern Pennines or Scottish Highlands.”

The possibility of snow falling across the UK over the festive period follows the icy conditions that hit the north-west of England at the beginning of the month.

Hundreds of homes in Cumbria were left without power, while the police declared a major incident and urged people not to travel to the county unless necessary.