High pressure will continue to dominate the weather in the south into the weekend bringing the potential for some foggy conditions through until Saturday. It will remain mild with much of the UK consistently seeing 10 or 11°C but it will still be cloudy and grey. A good deal of dry weather is expected across central and southern parts with rain moving into the north west later on Friday for which there is a warning in place.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Bulmer said, “For Christmas Day, parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to see some heavy and prolonged rain and there is still a possibility of a white Christmas for some northern areas of Scotland. But, for most of us, it’s largely going to be dry, rather cloudy and breezy.”

There have been some headlines about the possibility of a named storm affecting the UK after Christmas. Although the weather is expected to become more unsettled with wet and windy conditions between Christmas and New Year, no named storms are expected at this stage and there are currently no warnings for wind. Obviously we’ll keep you updated with the latest details over the next few days.

With transport networks expected to be very busy around the festive period, agencies have been warning people to take care in any adverse conditions. A Highways England spokesman said: “Drivers will typically slow down in snow, ice or fog but when it rains, many consider it to be normal so they don’t adapt their driving habits. Despite this perception, rain is a serious threat, making it harder for tyres to grip the road and harder for drivers to see ahead – factors that significantly increase the chances of a collision.

"The hard fact is that 2,978 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads during rain in the last year. A good rule of thumb is if it’s time for your wipers, it’s time to slow down. Now with high wind and rain expected over Christmas, and many motorists possibly rushing to get to their loved ones, we are trying to make drivers aware of the dangers and advising them to stay safe when driving over the festive period.”

Whatever weather we experience over the next few weeks you can make sure that you and those around you are prepared for winter weather and can cope with its impacts. You’ll always find the most up to date information on our forecast pages, Twitter and Facebook, as well as our mobile app.