Most of the country is set for a wet and cloudy festive period with heavy snow coming two weeks early, the Meteorological Office says.
A white Christmas is expected in the Scottish Highlands.
But warm air from the south-west will push temperatures as high as 13ºC in southern England on Friday and with it a band of rain will sweep through England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
At the same time, temperatures will hover above freezing in northern Scotland and lower levels there may see some snow on Christmas night, as cool winds push in from the north-west and blow across the whole UK.
After this band of rain, conditions will be drier in the south and east of England with blustering winds across the North West, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Snow blankets the UK, with more wintry weather to come - in pictures
“It’s going to be a cloudy and wet Christmas weekend for some of the UK and any wintry showers are most likely to be confined to the far north-west of Scotland," said Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon.
“A white Christmas, which according to the Met Office is defined by a single snowflake falling anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day, is most likely in the north-west of Scotland later on in the day on Sunday, with some snow moving in from the north-west as part of a cooler pool of air.
"And some snow could even be seen in the north-west of the UK at lower levels overnight on Christmas Day and into Boxing Day.
“What we’re looking at for Christmas Eve is staying mainly dry for southern and eastern parts but areas to the north-west will see some showers and some longer spells of rain for a time, including some heavy rain for a short time, and some snow falling over the high ground of Scotland.
“Some breezy conditions as well on Christmas Eve, some gusty winds especially in the north and west of the UK.
"That scene continues into Christmas Day with unsettled weather in charge of the UK regime at the moment.”
Snow blankets the UK - video
For the weekend in general, Mr Dixon said the country would face typical weather for this time of year, with “a mild, more unsettled pattern in charge”.
“Strong winds and rain continue for north and western areas in particular," he said.
"Further south won’t be immune to the occasional shower but the drier weather is expected in central and eastern parts of England."
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
