Snow weather warning for Boxing Day - but rain more likely

Heavy rain, sleet and some snow will hit the Midlands on Boxing Day night, ending the mild and dry Christmas.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain and snow for the entire Midlands, including all of the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham.

However, the snowy scenes which brought chaos to the roads and shut hundreds of schools two weeks ago are unlikely to return this week.

The warning, which is the least severe the agency can issue, is in place from 6pm on Tuesday until 11am on Wednesday.

With the majority of Boxing Day forecast to be dry and slightly cooler than Christmas Day, the afternoon football fixtures should be unaffected, however rain, sleet and snow is expected to fall throughout the evening as temperatures drop.

"An area of heavy rain will extend north and east across the area later on Tuesday and last though Tuesday night, easing away from eastern areas on Wednesday," the Met Office warned.

"The rain is likely to turn to snow in places, initially across Wales and then across parts of central England and eventually some of the higher ground in counties north and west of London.

"Some roads and railways are likely to be affected by longer journey times due to standing water or snow.

"There is also a smaller chance that individual homes and businesses could be flooded."

Wednesday and Thursday are forecast to be dry and sunny but cool, however rain, sleet and snow will likely return on Friday.

The warning comes as punters who backed a white Christmas were left disappointed by the continuing mild weather.

Most of the UK was expected to see temperatures reach double figures on Christmas Day, with the mercury peaking at 13C (55F) in some places.

Over the weekend, bookmaker Coral saw an increase in customers having a flutter on a flurry of flakes on Monday morning in 13 of the UK's biggest cities.

Aberdeen had the shortest odds at 2-1 for snowfall, while Birmingham and Manchester were both on 6-1 with London trailing on 8-1.

For years, Christmas was declared "white" if a single flake of snow was observed by a professional meteorologist falling on the roof of the London Weather Centre.

The Met Office has now broadened its definition to extend to other parts of the country, although the snow still has to be recorded by a professional.