Monthly Summary
Further depressions keep the outlook unsettled and generally mild.
After a very wet and windy week, the deep depressions continue. A mild and wet end to the year looks likely, rather than a crisp and cold one - but in spite of this trend, there will be the odd bright and crispy interlude for a few of us.
I have to say that with the strong Atlantic influence, there seems little prospect of a white Christmas this year. There's still plenty of winter left to anticipate a few cold snaps, and also some snowfall - it would be a rare winter indeed if it stayed mild continuously, so if you're still hoping to fly down a hill somewhere on a sledge, then all is not lost!
Monday 11th to Sunday 17th December
“Very windy spells, heavy rain at times, risk of local flooding”
After the rain and gales set in across many areas on Sunday, the heaviest rain will persist over much of England and Wales to start the week, and will slowly clear, so flood risk is still very much an issue - SEPA and the EA are both on hand to help and offer advice if you are concerned about local flood risks in your areas.
Further depressions will continue to bring rain and gales through the week, and it will get very mild too from Wednesday to Friday as temperatures rise to 13 or 14 Celsius for some.
On the whole, most of the rain will be in the north and west, but there may well be a wet spell in the south on Friday, before the weather turns a bit fresher and more showery over the weekend, with some local overnight frosts.
Showers over the hills will turn increasingly wintry, perhaps even in southern Britain, but only for a short while.
Monday 18th to Sunday 24th December
“Very windy at times, very mild”
Further deep depressions towards Iceland will continue to clash with a strong anticyclone over Iberia, bringing a squeeze of southwesterly winds across the UK this week.
The wind will be strong at times, and will also bring spells of rain or squally showers, but the wetter weather will be mostly confined to the northwest as the high pressure over Iberia should settle things in the southeast.
With the weather being influenced by the mid-Atlantic, temperatures will be very mild across the UK, both by day and by night. Any overnight clear spells between outbreaks of rain will allow to some local frosts, but really only in rural areas.
On the whole, with the blustery showers coming in from the west, there will be a little sunshine - with the more sheltered eastern areas faring better.
Monday 25th to Sunday 7th January
“Turning wetter, temperatures around average”
The Iberian high pressure will weaken somewhat, allowing the low pressure over Iceland to extend it's influence further south across the UK. Therefore, although the typical pattern of showers or spells of rain will continue, it will be wetter than of late across more southern areas.
Also, the wind will become more westerly, so the temperatures won't stay quite so mild - it should still be above average for some, but on the whole it will feel chillier as the temperatures hover around the winter mean. Night frosts will be slightly more widespread, although still not especially harsh.
It looks like the odds are going down for that white Christmas. However, things do change, so stay tuned just in case!
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