Despite the past week of heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, the UK is not dreaming of a white Christmas this year.
This festive season is set to be warm and wet as the cold snap that brought public transport to a halt and had Brits reaching for their thermostat makes way for soaring temperatures.
After weeks of sub-zero temperatures people have been told to expect the mercury to reach 15C in south-west England and north Wales today thanks to a milder air arriving from the Atlantic.
The Met Office is predicting a mild week ahead, leading up to a Christmas Day with similar conditions, though the forecaster acknowledged that uncertainty in the weather forecast details was "not unusual at 6-7 days out".
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said; “From mid-week we expect to see a north / south split develop with colder weather arriving in the north, while the south hangs onto the mild conditions.
"There are, however, large uncertainties concerning where the boundary between these two air masses will eventually end up, especially as we head into the Christmas weekend.
“Uncertainty in the weather forecast details is not unusual at 6-7 days out, and the current weather patterns are heightening those uncertainties.
"Confidence in the forecast is unlikely to increase until mid-week at the earliest and a range of outcomes are still possible.
“However, what we can say is that Christmas Day will most likely be mild with a risk of rain or showers in places for the south, especially the far south.
"Any cold air and wintry conditions will most likely be confined to the north of the UK," Mr Harris said.
Heavy rain was the main hazard for the beginning of the week, the Met Office said, with a yellow National Severe Weather Warning in place for the far south until Tuesday morning.
The rainy conditions are likely to cause huge issues on the road networks with people set to make 20 million car trips to see friends and family in the run-up to December 25.
The RAC said traffic will build steadily from Monday before peaking on Friday on Christmas Eve.
The worst congestion on those days is expected to be between 10am and 7pm on Friday, and between noon and 1pm on Saturday.
Met Office forecasting for Tuesday said rain would clear away from the southmost parts of the UK, bringing brighter skies, while North-western parts of the UK would see blustery showers throughout the day.
Temperatures would drop for those in Scotland and Wales from the early teens to hover around 8 or 9C.
"Low pressure stays in charge on Wednesday giving a breezy day for all, with scattered showers," the forecast continued.
"Temperatures are a little closer to average."
Thursday would bring a cover of cloud for many as a band of rain moves in from the west.
While temperatures would drop across Scotland, parts of England including London would enjoy a rise in temperatures to sit again around 11C.
The Met Office said there would be "spells of rain for many" on Friday, with colder air in the north possibly bringing some snow in Scotland.
"Most likely staying mild in the south," it continued.
Towards New Year, there was potential for a more settled spell to bring overnight frosts and morning fog, before a probable trend towards more changeable and milder conditions.
