Warm, wet and windy: No hope of white Christmas in the Black Country and Staffordshire
Any hopes of a white Christmas are well and truly over after weather forecasters condemned the Black Country and Staffordshire to wind and rain.
It is a second year of disappointment following the warmest winter on record last year.
Forecasters say today, Christmas Eve, in the region will be bright, breezy and dry with long periods of hazy sunshine with a maximum temperature of 9 C (48 F).
And then tomorrow, Christmas Day, following a dry start, it will be wet, mild and very windy. Boxing day and Bank Holiday Tuesday will be dry and quiet with plenty of sunshine.
The festive period comes following a day of strong winds on Friday. The weather, which saw winds of up to 70 mph hit the area, saw emergency and public service responders on high alert.
They were called early yesterday morning to the northbound of the M6 at Junction 10 at Walsall following a crash involving two cars.
It caused delays back to Junction 8, despite the accident being cleared quickly.
Highways teams had suspended 115 miles of roadworks across the West Midlands to help with the Christmas getaway.
The wet and windy weather over the next few days is a result of a succession of deep Atlantic low pressure systems.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Brent Walker said: "Storm Barbara is crossing the Atlantic and will pass close to the northwest of the UK during today, bringing the potential for some disruption to power supplies and travel, and possibly structural damage.
"Whatever your plans over the next few days it's worthwhile staying up to date with the latest Met Office forecasts, which is easy to do on our app."
Stuart Lovatt, Highways England's road safety spokesperson, said: "We're urging drivers to stay safe by responding to the changing conditions on the road during Storm Barbara.
"Many people will be planning long journeys over the next few days to see friends and relatives during Christmas but it's vital they slow down during stormy weather.
