Snow storm weather forecast: Met Office shares new white Christmas verdict for UK - in latest long range weather update

Despite fierce winds and heavy rainfall this week, temperatures have remained above seasonal averages. Temperatures climbed past 14C in both Teddington, southwest London, and Chelmsford, Essex on Monday.

Temperatures have also remained mild even as Storm Bram battered the country on Tuesday. Forecasters now predict this milder pattern will persist throughout December.

This means that snowfall is unlikely in the near future. In a video released on Tuesday via the Met Office's YouTube channel, meteorologist Aiden McGivern spoke of "subtle hints" suggesting the weather will become more stable following the recent storms and heavy rain.

He explained: "At the moment, there are some subtle hints of some more settled weather or, at least, less unsettled weather evolving through that week of Christmas. So there are no signs of any cold weather, or snow.

"It is mostly low pressure with spells of rain and wind, and so on... There is that promise towards the end of the year of something a little bit less unsettled."

Snow may yet arrive before Christmas, other forecasters suggest. Friday, December 19, will see temperatures hovering near freezing nationwide, potentially dropping to -1C across central Scotland. WXCharts projections indicate snowfall extending as far south as Devon in the southwest, with flurries anticipated to disrupt travel on December 20.

However, in its long range forecast from 25 December to Thursday 8 January, Met Office says: “Moving into late-December and early January, there are signs that the persistent pattern of mild and wet weather, which has characterised the month so far, may ease somewhat, with a chance of high pressure becoming more influential. Compared to recently, the chance of dry, settled patterns of weather is higher with frost and fog more prevalent.

“Spells of rain and strong winds remain possible, but these are more likely to less frequent compared to the month so far. The chance of snowfall is likely to be higher than earlier in the month, particularly high ground in the north. Whilst the chance of impacts from cold weather is higher compared to earlier in the month, the likelihood of more widespread snow and ice remains very low.”