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."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
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Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
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On sale: now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-cylinder%202.0L%20TSI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20clutch%207-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320HP%20%2F%20235kW%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20400Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20%2449%2C709%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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