“Technically speaking,” a white Christmas is extremely likely, according to the Met Office.
This weekend, temperatures in northern Scotland might drop as low as -8C.
If even one snowflake falls on the ground on December 25th, it qualifies as a “white Christmas” according to the Met Office.
The two regions most likely to have snow this Christmas are the northern Pennines and the Scottish Highlands.
On Christmas Day, there may be some frost in various parts of the UK, especially in the rural northern districts.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Helen Caughey said: “As we begin Christmas Day wintry showers initially feeding in across the north in the colder air mass would technically make it a white Christmas, as we only need to see a single flake falling.
“Elsewhere, while it is likely at first to be mostly dry there is the potential for rain approaching from the west later on. As this moves east, we may see rain turning to snow, at least over high ground.
“It’s unlikely that we will see widespread or settling snow giving any proper accumulations. Although technically it might be a white Christmas, don’t get your hopes up for a picture-perfect white landscape.”
The last time the UK had a picturesque white Christmas was in 2010.
A yellow warning for wind was issued for Scotland, Northern Ireland and swathes of northern England on Thursday.
Gusts are expected of up to 80mph on exposed coasts and to the east of high ground.
Frequent showers are expected in western areas with the southeast of the UK remaining mostly dry.