SKIERS have taken to the slopes as Scotland was transformed into a winter wonderland just days before Christmas.
The festive flurries arrived and blanketed the hills of the Cairngorms National Park.
6
6
6
6
6
Yuletide revellers wasted no time in making the most of the snow-filled paradise outside their doors.
Keen skiers and snowboarders strapped on their gear and took to the hills.
Lucy Rouce from Basingstoke was among those who ventured to the slopes to take part in the winter sport.
She said: “I am up here with my family and it is brilliant to be able to ski before Christmas.
“We were up here a couple of years ago too and it’s got a very Christmassy feel to it this year.”
Even those who weren’t zooming down the hills on skis or snowboards were out taking in the winter beauty.
One couple took a stroll through the snow while Nerina Hall and her son Tom visited the UK’s highest phone box – found within the national park.
It unfortunately wasn’t the same for the rest of the country, with many shoppers having to dodge the rain while buying last-minute Christmas gifts.
Millions of punters flocked to the streets after ferocious winds kept people indoors.
Scots spent the weekend under a yellow wind warning as ferries were axed and trains given speed restrictions.
But they better make the most of the pre-Christmas snow, as we are set for one of the warmest Christmas Eves on record.
Tonight could smash the record for the warmest Christmas Eve ever in Scotland as subtropical air wafts up from the Azores off Africa.
Aiden McGivern of the Met Office said: “It’s going to be a remarkably warm night on Christmas Eve.
“We could see temperatures of 14C or 15C in one or two of the milder spots and it’s towards the north where we are going to see the mildest air.”
UK 5 day weather forecast
Today:
Outbreaks of rain and drizzle, accompanied by hill fog, will gradually spread eastwards across western areas throughout Monday. Brighter elsewhere at first but turning cloudier later. Chilly in the east, but turning milder in the west later. Less windy.
Tonight:
A rather cloudy and murky night for many, with some patchy rain and drizzle, especially over hills in the west. A milder night for all, but windy in the north.
Tuesday:
A mostly cloudy Christmas Eve, but some brightness developing to the east of high ground. Damp for many initially, but rain becoming mainly confined to the northwest later. Much milder.
Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:
Remaining rather cloudy but mild throughout Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Some patchy rain at times, especially in the northwest. Slightly cooler by Friday, with perhaps a little more brightness.
Scotland’s warmest ever Christmas Eve was recorded in 2017, as the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh reached 11.2C.
Forecasting models are showing between 14C and 15C tomorrow night, so it’s almost certain to be a record.
Scotland’s warmest daytime temperature on Christmas Day of 15.1C was shared by Dyce in Aberdeenshire in 2011 and again at Urquhart in Ross and Cromarty in 2016.
