A Christmas Day snow warning has been issued for large parts of Scotland, with up to 10cm forecast for higher ground as gale force winds bring the risk of drifting and blizzards.
Frequent blustery snow showers are likely to cause some travel disruption to higher routes, the Met Office said in a yellow weather warning on Friday.
However, it won’t be a white Christmas for the rest of Britain, with torrential rain forecast to dampen festive spirits and pose difficulties for motorists driving home.
A wet Christmas Eve is likely to continue into the weekend, but there will be mild temperatures of as high as 13C in the south of England.
“It will be heavy rain and difficult driving conditions with the potential for some surface water build-up as it drains away,” said Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon.
In Scotland, the yellow weather warning covers most of the Highlands along with parts of Stirlingshire and Argyll.
It is in place from 9pm on December 25 and will last until 6pm on Boxing Day, with snow, high winds and freezing temperatures forecast.
“A very small chance of interruptions to power supplies … probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths,” the Met Office said.
Lower areas are forecast to receive 1-3cm of snow while higher ground can expect up to 10cm of snow.
“Strengthening west-northwesterly winds will bring increasingly frequent wintry showers to the west of Scotland through Sunday night and into Monday morning,” it said.
“Icy surfaces will be an additional hazard. Snow will become increasingly confined to higher ground through Monday morning, with a further 10 cm or so possible by the end of the day.”
It added: “Strong to gale force winds bring the risk of drifting and blizzards for upland areas, with a small risk of isolated power outages as the snow and strong wind affects power lines.”
Loch Insh Dippers swim group in the Cairngorms National Park near Aviemore, Scotland on Friday
