BBC weather forecasters have given their initial verdict on whether York will see a white Christmas.

And it is not looking good for anyone hoping to build a snowman or for Santa hoping for a soft landing for his sleigh.

Forecasters from BBC Weather in association with MeteoGroup believe York will instead have a rather dreary festive season, with some light rain predicted on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

They say there could also be some drizzle and also some sunny intervals at times.

They expect maximum temperatures of 6C on December 24 and 7C on December 25.

Such mild conditions would rule out snow on even the highest fells of the North York Moors or Yorkshire Dales.

However, the forecasters stress in their monthly forecast that there is a ‘high degree of uncertainty’ over the weather in the week running up to Christmas Eve, with a ‘vast gulf’ between computer models.

One expects high pressure to move west of the UK while another predicts it will move to the east.

The former scenario would mean ‘somewhat chilly’ north westerly winds at times, although not any extreme cold.

The latter would mean slightly milder but rainier weather.

But the forecasters do not expect especially wet weather over Christmas, which may alleviate any concerns about a possible repeat of the Boxing Day floods of 2015, stoked by the current spell of wet weather and flooding on the Ouse.