Met Office gives verdict on -6C ice bomb and chance of White Christmas
Weather report for 18 December across the UK
GB News
The Met Office has responded to claims that a -6C ice bomb is set to batter Britain with “relentless” 30-hours of snow to fall around Christmas.
Two tabloid newspapers have reported that a bitter cold snap will soon descend on the UK, with temperatures falling below freezing and flurries expected to settle.
Whilst the Met Office said that there “won’t be a continuous blanket”, snow showers can be expected in the run-up to Christmas.
A spokesman for the weather office told GB News: “It will be quite chilly overnight tonight in parts of the Highlands. You could see temperatures dipping down into the minus fingers and a bit of a frost for rural parts of Scotland tonight.”
Winter overview map for December 22
WXCharts
In England, a warmer spell will take over as the weekend arrives, with less “severe” weather expected.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, lows of -5C are to be expected when a low pressure system subsides and moves away to a northwesterly flow of “cold” air.
“When we get winds from the northwest, they’re very cold. There are some potential snow showers across the hills of Scotland on Saturday night and anywhere with snowfall will be in for a chilly night.”
Responding to claims that a 30-hour snow-bomb is set to hit the UK, the Met Office said that whilst snow can be expected in the hills of Scotland, there will be “nothing out of the ordinary”.
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The Met Office 'nothing too out of the ordinary' will happen weather-wise in the lead up to Christmas
PA
“There might be some snow over the mountains as you might expect in December. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
“It won't be like a continuous run of blanketing, but more showers over the hills in Scotland.”
WX Charts, which uses Met Desk data, had shown a white and purple wintry hue sweeping the country over late December, predicting that December 21 will feel the full brunt of the snow bomb.
The Met Office also dismissed the chance of a White Christmas this year, stating in a video posted on YouTube that those hoping for a blanket to settle will be “disappointed”.
The Met Office also dismissed the chance of a White Christmas this year,
Getty
Honor Criswick, a meteorologist with the service, said: “If that's what you're after (a White Christmas), I might have a little bit of disappointing news... We are unlikely to see any sort of widespread snow as we head into Christmas, sorry if that is a little bit disappointing for you.”
The Met Office can accurately forecast the likelihood of Christmas Day snow up to five days in advance - though has widened its definition of a white Christmas, which now extends beyond its traditional single location in London.
A white Christmas is officially recorded if just one snowflake falls anywhere in the UK during the 24 hours of December 25.
Multiple locations are now monitored, including Buckingham Palace, Belfast's Aldergrove Airport, and Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium.
The meteorologist continued: “Even if we see a single snowflake observed in Scotland over higher ground that technically means that it's been a White Christmas, but overall looking at the setup, it's not looking like we are going to see any kind of White Christmas.”
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