Daffodils bloom in Castleton during unseasonal December weather

Daffodils bloom in Castleton during unseasonal December weather

This month is on course to become the warmest December for more than 100 years.

The unseasonal temperatures have brought with them early sprouting daffodils, Christmas shoppers in shirt sleeves and melting ice rinks.

Daffodils, more usually associated with Easter than Christmas, have been seen around the country in a week when daytime temperatures were as much as 10C above the seasonal average.

Greg Dewhurst, a forecaster from the Met Office, said: “The weather pattern has brought low pressure after low pressure, with mild conditions from the south. We would normally expect a variation in the wind direction at this time of year, with wind from the north bringing high pressure and leading to overnight frosts and fog, but because it has been so mild, windy and cloudy it has not allowed for colder weather to settle in.”