White Christmas update: Met Office says to expect 'grey Christmas' with mild temperatures ahead of big day
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The weather service has said to expect a “grey Christmas” this year, with “extremely mild” temperatures and sunnier spells forecast for the big day. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west.
“Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix.
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“We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are. Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”
It comes after strong wind and ice in some regions saw yellow weather warnings introduced throughout one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The wind caused disruption at airports, including Heathrow, where around 100 flights were cancelled on Sunday (December 22). A spokesperson for the airport said: “Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled (on Sunday). This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned.”
An emergency situation was sparked at Belfast Airport after a plane’s nose wheel collapsed onto the runway after a “hard landing” on Sunday afternoon. Belfast City Airport was forced to close the runway for the rest of the day to allow for emergency procedures, but has since re-opened.
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Hide AdThere was also disruption on Loganair services from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands, as well as on several CalMac ferry routes. Alternative sailing routes from Holyhead to Dublin were also taking place after damage from Storm Darragh earlier this month forced the busy ferry port in Anglesey to close, with the port not due to re-open until January 15.
The roads were also busy, with the AA predicting that more than 21 million drivers hit the road on Sunday, while 23.7m drivers took off on Friday (December 20). Friday’s staggering number was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the AA’s records began in 2010.
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