Weather update: will Liverpool celebrate the warmest New Year’s Eve on record?

After parts of the UK enjoyed a white Christmas we could now be set for the warmest New Year’s Eve on record.

Some Met Office experts predict temperatures for Friday, 31 December, could hit 15°C in parts of the country as this winter’s highly changeable weather continues.

If the mercury does reach that level, it will beat the current record high of 14.8°C measured in 2011 in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.

What’s been said

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “Temperatures look like they’ll be 14°C to 15°C so it is possible that temperatures could be that value.”

He told The Guardian: “We’re going to see across the whole of the country, through the rest of this week, temperatures that are above average for this time of year.

“The average temperature in the UK around this time of year should be around 7°C-8°C. Going forward, we’re looking at highs of around 12°C-14°C, possibly locally 15°C in one or two spots, so it’s going to be well above average.

“It isn’t going to be blue skies all week. There’s going to be cloud at times as well as strong winds and heavy rain, particularly across the north and the west of the UK.”

What’s the weather forecast for Liverpool?

So will Merseyside be enjoying a UK record high this New Year’s Eve?

After a relatively cold start to the week of 8°C temperatures will begin to rise on Wednesday. The day begins with some heavy rain but the sun is expected to break through the clouds around lunchtime when we could see a high of 13°C.

It will be cloudy on Thursday with some spells of light rain in the afternoon but temperatures are expected to rise slightly to 14°C.

As we head into New Year’s Eve there will be thick cloud cover over Liverpool and a fresh breeze. At present, it is predicted to be around 14°C so we could just miss out on that UK record high temperature.

The mild climate is due to carry on into Saturday, before plunging again at the start of the new week.