RAIN and wind, and maybe a storm, could hit the country over the festive weekend, dashing all hopes of a white Christmas.

People in the South West are being urged to check on weather and travelling conditions before setting out for celebrations this weekend.

Unsettled weather is forecast for the weekend, with some national media outlets reporting on the possibility of Storm Dylan. But the Met Office has said there is no named storm yet. 

A spokesperson for the Met Office clarified that the UK will be "entering a weekend of more unsettled weather which could bring wind and rain, and which may lead to a storm".

He said: "But I'm not going to comment on whether we are going to get a named storm.

"It might be a weaker storm so it would not reach the threshold (for a named storm).

"There's no indication at the moment that anything we're seeing will reach the threshold."

He explained that during most of December, high pressure has blocked off weather systems from the Atlantic, where storms typically come from.

But during the festive period, it appears that the high pressure will ease and the UK will get more weather from the Atlantic direction.

Storms from the Atlantic generally come in from the South West or the North, so places such as Wales can receive the first and fullest force of a storm which can sweep across the country.

The Met Office however could not comment on weather roads and transport could be heavily affected by the unsettled weather this weekend.