What's the weather going to be like over Christmas?

Some parts of the UK are in line for a white Christmas, but for most areas it's likely to be a rain-filled few days.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice have been issued for Shetland and northeastern parts of Scotland over the next few days, the Met Office said. For Shetland, 2-5 cm of snow is possible in a few places. It comes after the UK was battered by Storm Pia on Thursday, with fallen trees causing injury, damage and travel disruption in some areas as winds hit 115mph. The storm, which was named by the Danish Met Institute, is gradually moving towards mainland Europe, where its impacts are expected to be more severe.

The Met Office said it would stay windy for many on Friday, and the weekend will bring more unsettled weather, including rain and strong winds. It said rain would be heaviest in the west and northwest through the weekend, with any settling snow probably confined to northern Scotland on Friday night into Saturday morning.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dave Hayter said: "It’ll be a particularly wet weekend in the north and west, with breezy conditions for many. While those further south will generally be drier, some sporadic showers could spread into the southwest at times, as well as some more persistent rain for Wales on Sunday.

"Christmas Day will likely see a continuation of unsettled, mainly showery, weather in the northwest, including Northern Ireland. While the day may start damp in southern and central areas, that rain should clear into the English Channel through the evening."

A White Christmas – which is defined by the Met Office as a single snowflake falling on Christmas Day – is likely, with wintry showers likely over high ground in the far north of Scotland. Here is a rundown of what the weather is set to be like over the coming days:

Friday night

Rain will continue across Scotland and parts of northern England, falling as snow for a time across northeast Scotland where it will be cold. It will be drier elsewhere though fairly cloudy and mild.

Saturday

Saturday will be cloudy for many with outbreaks of rain and drizzle for western upslopes. There will be further rain for Scotland, falling as snow for a time. Rain will affect Northern Ireland and northern England later.

Christmas Eve to Boxing Day

Weather will be cloudy and blustery on Christmas Eve with rain and drizzle. There will be rain in the south on Christmas Day, and it will be showery further north, before turning generally cooler with further rain on Boxing Day.

A White Christmas – defined by the Met Office as a single snowflake falling on Christmas Day – is likely, with wintry showers likely over high ground in the far north of Scotland.

26 December - 4 January

After a probably brief drier and colder interlude for many on Boxing Day, with the best of the brightness in central areas and some showers in Scotland (wintry over hills), there's likely to be a return to broadly unsettled conditions from most likely late Tuesday or into Wednesday, with further periods of showers or longer spells of rain for many areas, the Met Office said.

There will be some brighter/sunnier interludes between systems, though these will be generally brief. It will probably become milder again in the south, with the greater chance of colder interludes further north, where some snow is possible, especially on higher ground. Strong winds are also likely at times.