Christmas Eve in the UK saw unusually high temperatures, marking the hottest day before Christmas since 1997. The mercury rose to 15.3C in Heathrow, west London, and Cippenham in

Slough, according to the Met Office.

While there were speculations about it potentially being the warmest 24th of December ever, that honor still resides with 1931, when temperatures hit 15.5C in Aberdeen and Banff in Scotland.

Despite this warm spell, it sets the stage for what could be one of the hottest Christmas Days since 2016. Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud shared, "The temperatures will peak today... While there might be a slight dip in temperatures for Christmas Day, they'll still be comfortably above average."

He further explained, "We're looking at 13 and 14C tomorrow, making it likely the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, when we experienced 15.1C."

The highest recorded temperature on December 25th was 15.6C in 1920, noted in Devon. Meanwhile, Scotland's warmest Christmas Day reached 15.1C in Dyce in 2011 and in Urquhart, Ross, and Cromarty in 2016.

However, as Christmas Eve displayed mild conditions for many, strong winds swept through certain regions. Gusts of up to 56mph hit parts of the Isle of Wight and Northern Ireland. A yellow weather warning for wind was issued, affecting eastern England from the Scottish border to the Midlands until 22:00 GMT. This warning indicated potential travel disruptions, building damage, and power outages.

As for Christmas Day, much of the UK is anticipated to be damp, with Wales likely to experience heavy rain. Scotland is expected to see rain showers with relatively warm temperatures of 8C or 9C in most areas. Yet, northern parts of Scotland might still witness a "white Christmas," especially in higher regions like Caithness and Sutherland. A mere observation of a single snowflake within the 24-hour period qualifies as an "official" white Christmas. Photo by Richard Knights, Wikimedia commons.