December is meant to be the time of year when you have to wrap up in every bit of warm clothing you can find in the wardrobe. But the latest BBC and Met Office forecasts are showing that parts of Britain are in for a spell of weather that’s almost as warm as you might expect on chillier days in May or June.
In what’s something of a mini-heatwave for this time of year, temperatures in London and the South East of England could go as high as 15C on Christmas Eve. And a high of 14C is then expected on Christmas Day.
And that’s not too different from southern Spain where in Seville, often reported to be Europe’s hottest city, temperatures of 15C on Christmas Day and 14C on Boxing Day are forecast.
The unseasonably warm weather comes with plenty of rain and wind across the country and the Met Office has issued yellow warnings for the parts of Wales and Scotland for today (December 23) and Christmas Eve.
Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England.
Two separate yellow weather warnings for heavy rain have been issued, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.
Over in Seville, the largest city in Andalusia, it will be a day of sunshine on Christmas Day. But temperatures don’t often match those in Britain, as temperatures in the summer can get above 40C and even in November temperatures above 30C are possible.
The BBC’s forecast for the UK on Christmas Day says: “Christmas Day is expected to be cloudy with showers or longer spells of rain, most persistent in the morning and after dusk. Breezy, but windier overnight.
“Boxing Day may become dry and calm for a time with plenty of wintry sunshine. Gradually cooler. Becoming increasingly cloudy, wet and windy with rain moving in from the south-west later in the evening, and through Wednesday.”
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates said: “It’s a windy weekend for many, with some heavy rain expected too, especially in the west, with a number of weather warnings in force.
“Low pressure to the north of the UK is chiefly responsible for this period of unsettled weather, with a number of weather fronts bringing periods of heavy and persistent rain, particularly in western Scotland and Wales through Saturday and into Sunday.
“Those further east will generally see drier conditions through the weekend, though even here will see some showers at times. Temperatures in the south will be very mild for the time of year, likely peaking at around 15°C in the far South East on Saturday.”
