Don’t get your hopes up for a white Christmas just yet – December is set for a mild start, with a clearer picture of winter conditions set to emerge next week.

Reports have been circulating that Britain is set for the snowiest winter in decades, but we won’t know for sure until we get a few days into December, the Met Office said.

Current conditions stand in stark contrast to around this time last year, where parts of the UK were in the grip of heavy snow by early December.

As November wraps up, the Met Office revealed the “warmer and drier than average” month will rank the top 10 sunniest for the UK.

Over the weekend and into the start of next week, only mountainous areas in Wales and Scotland are set to be draped in a light covering of snow, while low areas can expect milder conditions.

Experts say the snow shouldn’t affect lowland areas or cause any disruption.

Luke Miall, Met Office forecaster, said: “There’s not really much snow in the forecast for the coming days. The main risk will be the Scottish mountains and higher ground.

“As we go through Sunday, most areas will be quite mild so anything that falls will likely be as rain.

“As we go into next week, there is the chance we could see some snow across the Scottish mountains on Monday morning, continuing until early afternoon and then clearing away.

“The slightly greater risk would be Tuesday, there’s a possibility we could see snow coming in across the Welsh mountains and perhaps the peak district and he Pennines as well.

“How much we’ll see and whether it will settle, that’s what we’re not certain about at the moment.”

Milder, wetter and windier conditions are however expected throughout the UK as we head into the Christmas month.

“We could see something later in the winter, but at this stage, it’s a long way off. We’ll have a bit more of an idea as we go into next week,” Miall said.