'Wintry showers' forecast for North East as temperatures set to fall

'Wintry showers' are on the horizon for the North East as temperatures chill off, according the long range weather forecast for the region.

In its outlook for Saturday, November 25 to Monday, December 4, the Met Office predicts 'wintry showers, and strong winds are likely into northern and eastern areas, with the risk of overnight frosts increasing through the weekend'.

It states the west of the UK will have more chance of seeing milder conditions, while further east, 'colder, drier and brighter conditions with blustery wintry showers will likely persist'.

The Met Office adds: "It is uncertain how prolonged this cold spell with be, but likely that through this period, milder, more unsettled conditions from the west will gradually replace the colder air."

Long range forecasts are, however, susceptible to change with weather more difficult to predict as time goes on.

The term 'wintry showers' is an informal term used to describe mixes of rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain and other conditions, and does not tend to be deployed when large accumulations of snow are possible.