While it’s a sunny affair for many the cutting winds are making for bitterly cold conditions with temperatures feeling like near freezing
Hundreds of people hit Porthcawl again on Christmas Day morning for the festive swim despite the cold and strong winds forecast(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Hundreds hit Porthcawl again for the annual Christmas Day swim on Thursday morning despite there being a yellow weather warning in place for particularly high and cutting winds. Revellers donned their best festive fancy dress and raced into the water on a morning which was sunny but bitterly cold.
A yellow warning is in place for strong and gusty east to north-easterly winds on Thursday which the Met Office is predicting might lead to disruption. The warning stretches the length of Wales and covers 18 of the 22 council areas.
Gusts are expected to peak fairly widely at 45-55mph, with 55-65mph possible along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills, while temperatures in Wales on Christmas Day are expected to hover around four degrees on average.
The fancy dress swim at Porthcawl beach is a hit every year but this year it was especially cold(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The weather warning is in place from 4am until midnight. The Met Office forecast for Wales on Thursday states: “East to north-easterly winds will become particularly strong and gusty during Christmas Day, with peak gusts fairly widely of 45-55 mph, but 55-65 mph along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills.
“Given the more unusual wind direction, this may lead to some disruption to transport and power supplies. Large waves will be an additional hazard on some coasts.”
The warning has been issued for Wales and parts of England (Image: Met Office )
The yellow weather warning has been issued for:
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
Utterly bonkers(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Those hoping for a white Christmas may be disappointed as the weather is expected to stay dry throughout the day with clouds and sunny spells.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said it was “highly unlikely” the UK would see a white Christmas. “We’ve got a very dry picture across the UK over the next few days,” he added.
A Wales specific forecast from the Met Office for Thursday states: “Christmas Day will start quite cloudy again, but plenty of sunshine will develop during the day. It will remain blustery, with gales possible over hills. Feeling rather chilly. Maximum temperature 5 °C.”