SCOTS’ hopes for a White Christmas are rapidly melting away after experts gave their long-range snow forecast for the festive period.
Many have been keeping their fingers crossed for some snowfall on Christmas Day after flurries of the white stuff fell across the country last month.
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And yesterday Scots were warned that they are set to be hit with snow flurries and 75mph gusts tonight and tomorrow.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather alerts for snow and ice covering large swathes of the country.
The warnings are in place until 9am on Thursday morning, with the highlands, Orkney and Shetland, and the Strathclyde region among the worst affected.
The news has prompted weather experts to make their predictions for snowfall on Christmas Day and they believe it is increasingly unlikely.
STV weather presenter Philip Petrie has revealed that this month will be “just the beginning” of the frosty period.
He added that Scots are more likely to see snowfall next year in January and February than they are in December.
As it stands, the expert’s long-range forecast ras revealed that rain is set to lash most parts of the country on December 25.
However, Petrie said that there is still uncertainty over the topic, adding that this forecast could still change.
He told STV News: “Some of the showers have the signal of being wintry in nature, but mostly on higher ground, and temperatures likely to be around average.
“At the moment, it is still too early to say anything with any certainty, but we will be keeping a close eye over the next few weeks.”
The Met Office revealed that it won’t be until five days before Christmas that they will be able to accurately predict if snow is likely to fall.
It comes a year after parts of the country, including the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, experienced light snowfall last year, offering just a trace of a white Christmas.
Historically, the region also boasts the record for the deepest snow ever recorded on Christmas Day.
Kindrogan in Perthshire measured a staggering 47cm of snow back in 1981.
England last experienced a widespread snowy Christmas in 2010.
