‘Warmest’ Christmas Eve since 1997 as Christmas Day set to be hottest in years, says Met Office

Dec 24, 2023 at 7:01 PM

Today (Sunday) has provisionally been recorded because the warmest Christmas Eve since 1997, in response to the Met Office.

The climate company stated temperatures reached 15.3C at Heathrow, west London.

The warmest Christmas Eve on file was in 1931, when 15.5C was recorded in Aberdeen and Banff in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Christmas Day is anticipated to be the most well liked in years as some components of the UK are predicted to hit 14C.

Most of the nation will stay gentle and cloudy with drizzle at instances ruling out a white Christmas, aside from the mountains in northern Scotland which might see snow.

Temperatures are unlikely to exceed the warmest Christmas Day on file when the temperature reached 15.6C in 1920.

However, Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud stated this Christmas might see the “warmest Christmas day since 2016” because the UK hit 15.1C.

Met Office forecaster Liam Eslick stated: “It’s been an exceptionally mild couple of days across all of the UK, temperatures have been well above average for the time of year, the maximum for December being 7C.

“Temperatures right this moment have reached 15C in fairly just a few areas throughout the UK, the best being 15.3C in two areas – one in Heathrow and one in Cippenham, Berkshire.”

No extra white Christmases?

With 15.3C recorded at Heathrow, it is actually one of many warmest Christmas Eve’s in recent times – however the warmest on file was in 1931 when 15.5C was recorded in Aberdeen and Banff.

That was clearly a while in the past, though that will have been right down to mountain results (the Fohn Effect, whereby air descending downwind of a mountain vary is hotter than on the upwind facet),somewhat than a extra basic heat.

It is tough to attract any actual conclusions, particularly the place data for a single day are concerned.

But the comparatively excessive temperatures are in step with the final warming we have been experiencing (it seems like that is the primary 12 months the Central England Temperature has been above the 1961-1900 common in each month, for instance), coupled with a south-westerly movement, because of the place of the jet stream.

Does it imply no extra white Christmases?

No – firstly, it seems like there will be snow over the northern Scottish hills this Christmas, whereas extra typically, modifications within the jet stream might put us on the chilly facet in future years, bringing an elevated threat of snow.

The UK is drawing in hotter air from the south contributing to this unusually gentle climate.

Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office in Scotland and northern and central areas of England for Christmas Eve, saying individuals ought to count on journey disruption, injury to buildings and energy cuts, whereas the remainder of the nation might even see showers.

In Wales persistent and heavy rain might trigger disruption to move and energy provides with the potential of flooding.

And additional yellow climate warnings have been issued by the Met Office for later within the week, together with components of Scotland which might face heavy rain and snow.