Christmas Day in the UK will be cold and windy but the sun will shine for many, forecasters predict.
Brisk winds picking up from Christmas Eve will make the slightly below-average temperatures feel close to freezing for much of the country, the Met Office said.
The easterly winds, mainly affecting the UK’s south, mean Christmas Day and Boxing Day swimmers could face big waves.
Forecasters are not predicting a white Christmas but there is a very small chance of snow falling in Dartmoor, as afternoon rain showers push into parts of Devon and Cornwall.
December 24 and 25 will be dry and sunny for most with cloudier weather expected in the east.
Many will wake up to a frosty Christmas Day morning.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: “It will turn colder from Christmas Eve, with a strong wind across much of England and Wales, so temperatures on the thermometer will be a little bit below average: around 6C or 7C as a max, generally.
“And then when you add on that wind chill of an easterly wind, it will probably feel more like freezing from Christmas Eve onwards.”
Have you felt the chill in the air?
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 23, 2025
It will keep getting colder, especially in the south, as Christmas approaches 👇 pic.twitter.com/fH5bGmxoM9
Most areas will see temperatures peak at 4C or 5C during the Christmas period.
Temperatures are forecast to plummet below freezing overnight across much of the country, with northern Scotland potentially reaching minus 5C.
Clouds could accumulate in some southern counties on Boxing Day but elsewhere will remain largely dry with sunny spells.
“It’s a bit colder than average, not unusual for the time of year, but in terms of averages it would be a bit below”, Ms Mitchell said.
“The weather’s all very similar really, out towards New Year’s Eve. The Christmas period is quite a nice forecast.”
