The UK may wake up to a white Christmas as the country braces itself for a 400-mile snowstorm predicted to hit just hours before the big day.
WXCHARTS weather maps have turned various shades of purple, red, yellow, and blue, indicating that snow and rain are on the way.
This raises hopes that both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day could be blanketed in festive flakes.
At 6pm on Christmas Eve, a storm is set to cover almost all of the UK, with brutal weather stretching from Wick in Scotland to Birmingham.
Scotland is forecast to receive the brunt of the snow, and up to 4cm of white stuff could fall per hour.
Key cities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, are likely to be blanketed in the wintry spell.
England won’t miss out on catching a glimpse of the white stuff, with snow depths of 2cm predicted in the North West.
However, the likelihood of it sticking is unknown as both the North West and North East will receive a hammering of rain with up to 2mm of rain per hour predicted.
The West Midlands, particularly Birmingham, could also see snowfall.
Wales will be completely saturated in rain, and the country will barely even be visible on the latest weather maps.
Cardiff will see rain depths reach 5mm per hour, while other areas could reach 6mm.
Although the South West won’t see rain as badly as Wales, the region will still experience a hammering. Parts of Cornwall will receive a maximum of 2mm of rain per hour.
London, South East and the East of England will all miss out on the snowstorm with these regions looking likely to escape the brutal Christmas weather.
However, the capital will see a flurry of rain at midnight on Christmas Day.
Separately, in the Met Office’s weather update for Christmas Eve until January 7, the forecaster is warning that “some sleet and snow is likely at times, especially on high ground in the north”.
During this period, “unsettled conditions appear likely for most, with spells of wind and rain followed by showers affecting most areas but especially the north and northwest of the UK”.
However, there are signs that more settled conditions are sometimes possible, “these perhaps most likely across the south late in December or into early January”.
Temperatures are likely to be around average overall.
