Will Scotland see a white Christmas this year?

Dreaming of a white Christmas? You are likely to be disappointed as Scotland could potentially see its warmest Christmas Day on record.

Forecasters predict that temperatures could reach up to 14C on 25 December in the north east of Scotland.

The record currently stands at 15.1C which was recorded at Dyce in Aberdeenshire in 2011 and in Urquhart in Ross and Cromarty in 2016.

The UK record stands at 15.6C, recorded at Killerton in Devon in 1920.

BBC Scotland weather forecaster Gillian Smart said the record is "within touching distance".

She said: "We're in for a largely dry and unseasonably mild Christmas Day, as our very changeable December weather continues.

"For most it is dry under the influence of high pressure to the south but there's a chance we could see some unseasonably high temperatures for north east Scotland in particular

"It seems a mild rather than a white Christmas to come."

Forecasters predict that most of Scotland will see mild temperatures on Christmas Day

Should any snow fall in the UK, the Scottish Highlands have the highest chance of a fresh covering, which is not unusual at this time of year.

Stormy conditions are expected over the weekend, with yellow warnings of strong winds in place for the whole of Scotland on Saturday, and everywhere except Orkney and Shetland on Sunday.

Gusts of between 50-60mph are expected in many areas, with a chance of winds reaching 70mph around some coasts and areas of high ground.

This could cause delays to public transport and some disruption to the road network, which may have a greater than usual impact given the busier pre-Christmas weekend travel.

Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard.

More than 50% of Christmases have been classified as white in the last 60 years

Dan Harris from the Met Office said: "Current indications are that more settled conditions are likely to develop from Christmas Eve onwards, with the majority of the UK coming under the influence of high pressure.

"The exception however may be northwest Scotland where there is a reasonable chance of further wind and rain.

"Christmas Day itself is likely to be settled, often cloudy, and dry with light winds for the majority.

"Once again, the far north may be windier, with a small chance of further rain across northwest Scotland.

"Temperatures are expected to be widely mild, so if you are hoping for a blanket of snow across the country on Christmas Day, I'm sorry to say you will be disappointed."

What is a white Christmas?

While the term is often associated with Bing Crosby's dulcet tones- what does it actually take for Christmas to be classified as a white one?

For the big day to be classed as an "official" white Christmas, just one snowflake has to be observed within the 24 hour period - and it happens quite a lot.

Despite being unseasonably warm, last Christmas was classed as a white Christmas due to some snowfall in Aviemore and Tulloch Bridge.

More than 50% of Christmases have been classified as white since 1960.

The Met Office has weather stations across the country from Edinburgh Castle to Pittodrie Stadium, which are used to measure the weather.

The treetops do not need to glisten but just one of those weather stations needs to see a flurry of snow for the Met Office to declare it a white Christmas.

The idyllic Christmas card scene of more widespread lying snow, like the ones Crosby used to know, however are much rarer.

This has only happened four times since 1960, most recently during the very snowy December of 2010 when more than 80% of weather stations reported snow lying on the ground on Christmas Day.

So while it is unlikely there will be lots of the white stuff, there's not snow chance.