White Christmas in Scotland despite warm temperatures

Forecasters officially declared a white Christmas with snow falling across parts of Scotland - including Aviemore

A white Christmas has been officially confirmed by the Met Office following snowfall in the Highlands of Scotland.

A mixture of rain and snow was reported in Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore on Monday afternoon despite mild temperatures elsewhere.

There was also light snowfall in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

The Met Office also provisionally confirmed the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, at 12.4C.

Temperatures at Exeter Airport and East Malling, Kent, did not fall below 12.4C, the Met Office said, beating the previous record of 11.5C measured at Waddon in Croydon in 1983.

The highest single temperature was recorded at 13.6C at Exeter Airport, making it the warmest December 25 since 2016.

However, just one snowflake has to be observed within the 24-hour period for Christmas Day to be classed as officially "white".

Most parts of Scotland saw rain and highs of 8C or 9C, while other parts of the country had mild and damp days.

Temperatures are forecast to drop on Boxing Day and there is a weather warning in place in Scotland for Wednesday.

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

Last year was one of them. While no weather stations recorded any lying snow, 9% recorded falling snow.

2021 was also classified as a white Christmas with snow in Braemar and Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Strathallan in Perthshire and across Shetland.

There has only been a widespread covering - where more than 40% of weather stations in the UK reported snow on the ground at 09:00 - four times since 1960, in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010, according to the Met Office.

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The Met Office announced the minimum temperature record on X on Monday morning, posting: "It has been a very mild 24 hours across parts of the UK

"Provisionally this Christmas we have recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, with both Exeter Airport and East Malling not falling below 12.4C".

Boxing Day is expected to be colder, but some winter sun is possible in many areas.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and rain on Wednesday, covering Aberdeen, Perth and parts of Edinburgh.

There is also the risk of snow for all inland areas to the north and south of the central belt.