Azores High to trigger warm temperatures on Christmas Day as Met Office forecasts ‘exceptionally mild’ conditions

Brian Gaze, a forecaster for The Weather Outlook said: “Incoming subtropical air will make Christmas Day extremely mild”.

The Met Office has confirmed the exceptional temperatures, with a forecaster stating: “Christmas Day and Boxing Day look exceptionally mild for the time of year.”

The Met Office said temperatures will be around double the usual average for this time of year, with an Azores High, a huge region of high pressure that drives summer heatwaves, set to sweep in through the week.

“The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are,” a Met Office forecaster explained.

The mild conditions are being brought by a high pressure system moving in ahead of the festive period.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “We’ll start to see high pressure to the south of the UK bringing in more settled and much milder conditions from Christmas Eve.”

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Christmas Day itself will be predominantly cloudy across most regions, though eastern areas may see some clear or sunny spells. Some drizzle is possible over hills in the west, with more persistent rain likely in northwest Scotland.

Scotland is set to experience particularly dramatic temperature changes over the festive period. The Met Office said Scotland could see overnight temperatures 10C above average on Christmas morning.

East and northeast Scotland are expected to see the most notable temperature increases.

“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north,” Hicks said.

Last year also saw remarkably warm temperatures during the festive period, with one of the hottest Christmas Eves on record when Heathrow recorded 15.3C.

The mild Christmas forecast comes after a weekend of severe weather disruption across the UK. Winds of up to 82mph were recorded in Kirkwall, Orkney, causing widespread travel chaos.

Around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport on Sunday due to strong winds and airspace restrictions. At Belfast City Airport, an Aer Lingus regional flight was forced to make a “hard landing” during stormy conditions, causing the runway to close.

P&O Ferries cancelled journeys between Northern Ireland and Scotland until Sunday evening.