Grey and mild conditions forecast as walkers and swimmers head out on Boxing Day

Boxing Day walkers and swimmers will see a grey and mild day with some drizzle in places, the Met Office has said.

Temperatures on Thursday are expected to reach up to 14C with widely cloudy conditions and patchy rain in areas including north-west Scotland, according to the forecaster.

The brightest weather is forecast in north-east England, Scotland and parts of North Wales, where the wind will help to break the cloud up.

Patchy drizzle may cause a “nuisance” for those hoping to get out and enjoy the outdoors, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said.

“For Boxing Day, it’s another pretty grey day,” he said.

“There’s lots of low cloud with a bit of mist and murkiness around, still a little bit of fog in a few spots, mainly in the west.

“The cloud is thick enough in places that, again, we’ve got bits and pieces of sort of patchy, light, drizzly stuff, not really rain as such, but more a nuisance than anything else – particularly if you want to get out and about for for a bit of a walk, it is a bit damp.

“So all in all, another generally dry day, although there will be some bits of drizzle around, but rather grey and mild day for Boxing Day.”

The showers are expected to move north into Scotland and Northern Ireland with largely dry conditions elsewhere.

For outdoor swimmers planning a Boxing Day dip, the mild weather will be welcome news, with temperatures of around 10C to 12C forecast in most of the country.

“It’s at least quite mild, and when you get out of the sea, it won’t be as cold as it has been on many Boxing Day swims in the past,” Mr Partridge added.

Although it is “very mild for the time of year”, 2024’s Boxing Day temperatures are not expected to exceed those of 2011, which became the warmest December 26 on record when 16.1C was measured in Banff, Scotland, Mr Partridge said.

Conditions on Friday are expected to be “very similar” to Boxing Day, with temperatures of around 10C to 13C accompanied by cloud and patchy drizzle across Wales and south-west England, he continued.

Over the weekend, conditions in Scotland will be “a little bit winder and a little bit wetter”, with cloud and showers predicted elsewhere.