General situation: A building ridge of high pressure over western Central Europe will be blocking an Iceland low from skidding down south across the North Sea. After the brief winter spell this weekend and Monday, general airflow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be rather westerly to northwesterly instead of the cold wet arctic maritime air needed to give us a snowy and cold Xmas.

Christmas Eve: With good confidence there will be no lying snow to survive the Tuesday southwesterly mild spell, even not on higher grounds. Every precipitation falling will be wet.

Christmas Day: Wet at first for England and Wales, but turning drier during the morning. Some showers over the far northwest. Central and northern parts of England mostly dry, but too mild for snow anyway

Issued Wednesday, 20th Dec, 10:00 am. Updated daily.