Meteorologists at the Met Office say it is unlikely that Wales will see any snow on Christmas Day this year.

Giving an update on the forecast for the week ahead, the Met Office says that despite a cold end to this week, the weather is expected to turn milder from Christmas Eve.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said: “With Christmas still six days away, we cannot yet be confident about the regional scale details, however the broad trends in the forecast come with higher than usual confidence for this lead time.

"Current indications are that more settled conditions are likely to develop from Christmas Eve onwards, with the majority of the UK coming under the influence of high pressure. The exception however may be northwest Scotland where there is a reasonable chance of further wind and rain.

“Christmas Day itself is likely to be settled, often cloudy, and dry with light winds for the majority.

"Once again, the far north may be windier, with a small chance of further rain across northwest Scotland.

"Temperatures are expected to be widely mild, so if you are hoping for a blanket of snow across the country on Christmas Day, I’m sorry to say you will be disappointed."

The weather will be cold in the run up to the big day howeverm with a widespread frost possible as we wake on Friday morning.

A brief window of settled weather for many overnight Friday into Saturday will be quickly pushed aside, as an area of low pressure tracks to the north of the UK bringing wet and widely windy weather.

Dan Harris added: "Rain will also move in on Saturday, with the highest accumulations in the northwest, followed by frequent heavy showers which will turn increasingly wintry on higher ground later. A covering of snow is possible for some hills and mountains as far south as the Peak District by Sunday morning.

"Sunday brings a mix of sunny intervals, blustery showers, and perhaps longer spells of rain in the north. Showers will be most frequent and heavy in northern and western areas, falling as a wintry mix of sleet and snow for some. Gales are expected in exposed parts of the north and west, with windchill making temperatures feel rather cool.

"Monday is likely to see another frontal system move through from the west, bringing further wind and outbreaks of rain across all parts through the day."