There will be no white Christmas, but Met Éireann is forecasting dry, bright and cold weather over the next few days and into the new year.
“As of right now, there are no indications that we will see any snow falling over the next few days going into the new year,” said Holly O’Neill, a meteorologist with Met Éireann. “I always feel guilty saying that around [this time] when people want their white Christmas.”
Christmas Day will be dry and bright, though cloudier at times near eastern and southern coasts. Temperatures will reach a chilly daytime high of 4 to 7 degrees, but it will feel colder.
“For the next few days, high pressure is going to be staying around,” said Mr O’Neill. “We’re going to be seeing very settled conditions and a lot of winter sunshine as well. We will be expecting to have some good sunny breaks.
READ MORE
“It’s going to be a lovely crisp Christmas Day for a lot of people.”
An added wind chill from moderate, occasionally fresh, and gusty northeast winds will have an impact, especially along the eastern and southern coasts. Winds elsewhere will be light to moderate.
An added wind chill from moderate, occasionally fresh and gusty northeast winds will have an impact, especially along the eastern and southern coasts. Winds elsewhere will be light to moderate.
Temperatures will drop to of between -3 and 2 degrees on Christmas night, with frost and icy patches forming on untreated surfaces, and some patches of mist and fog too. It won’t be as cold on the east coast, with lowest temperatures of between 3 and 6 degrees.
On Friday, St Stephen’s Day, it will again be dry and bright, with spells of winter sunshine. There may be some cloudy periods in parts of Leinster and Munster. Highest temperatures will be between 4 and 8 degrees, with light to moderate northeasterly winds.
Friday night will be colder but should remain dry. Lowest temperatures of -1 to 4 degrees are forecast, though again, it will be less cold near the east coast.
The pattern continues this weekend, with a mix of dry, cloudy and sunny spells on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will be slightly colder, with frost forming as night falls under clear skies.
High pressure will continue to dominate in the lead-up to new year, with the centre of the high pressure moving close to or over Ireland. That means winds will be lighter, but under clear skies, frost will be more widespread. The added hazard of fog and freezing fog could be slow to clear by day.
