Many Scots could experience a snowy Christmas after a winter weather warning was issued.

From 23:00 on Christmas Day to 18:00 on Boxing Day, the Met Office will issue a yellow alert for snow and ice.

On higher ground, up to 10cm (4in) of snow is likely, along with snow showers.

Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Argyll and Bute, and West Dunbartonshire are included in the alert.

After snowfall in Braemar and Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Strathallan, Perthshire, and Shetland, it was deemed a white Christmas the previous year.

The previous year was also theoretically a white Christmas, with 6% of weather stations reporting snowfall, but it did not accumulate in most locations.

Friday, the Met Office issued the following forecast: “Strengthening west-northwesterly winds will bring increasingly frequent snow showers to the west of Scotland through Sunday night and Monday morning.

“These may fall as snow at low levels for a time during which transitory accumulations of 1 to 3 centimeters are likely, with 5 to 10 centimeters over the hills. Icy surfaces will present an added hazard.

“On Monday morning, snow will become increasingly limited to higher elevations, with an additional 10cm or so likely by evening.

“Strong to gale-force winds bring the potential of drifting and blizzards to highland regions, as well as a modest risk of localized power outages when snow and strong winds impact power lines.”

The meteorological agency warned of icy spots appearing on roads, sidewalks, and cycling lanes, which might impact car and rail travel.

In recent years, snowfall has been recorded on approximately half of Christmas Days in the United Kingdom, but heavy snowfall reminiscent of Dickensian Christmas sceneries is now an uncommon occurrence.

According to the Met Office, there have only been four occasions since 1960 in which more than 40 percent of meteorological stations in the United Kingdom reported snow on the ground at 9:00 a.m. These occurred in 1981, 1995, 2009, and 2010.