Cloudy and windy today with some rain and drizzle

Weather update from Met Éireann

Continuing mild up to and including Christmas Eve, indeed very mild on Christmas Eve and it'll be blustery with some rain and drizzle at times.

At the moment it looks like Christmas Day is likely to be cool and bright with sunshine and a few scattered showers, with some frost possible on Christmas night.

Returning to today's forecast and it will be mostly cloudy and breezy or rather windy today with some scattered outbreaks of mostly light rain and drizzle at times. The rain will be most persistent in north and northwest, a little heavier at times there, with long dry spells elsewhere. Milder than yesterday, with highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees in mostly fresh and gusty west to northwest winds, strong and gusty in western and northern parts.

Becoming windy tonight, indeed very windy in the north, with west to northwest winds increasing strong to near gale force and gusty, reaching gale force in northern and some western coastal parts. The winds will be strongest in the north and northwest. It will be mostly cloudy with some scattered outbreaks of mostly light rain and drizzle. Mild with lowest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees.

Tomorrow, Thursday, will be a very windy day with strong to near gale force and gusty west to northwest winds, with gales in northern areas and in some coastal parts. There'll be high seas too in northern and western coastal parts, with the potential for wave overtopping. It'll be cloudy in most areas for a time with a little rain and drizzle at times, but brighter weather in northern parts with a little sunshine will extend a little further south through the day. Relatively mild with highest temperatures of 9 to 12

Still windy on Thursday night with fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds, easing a little later in the night. Mostly cloudy too with further scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle, a few heavier bursts possible in the north and northwest. Mild with lowest temperatures of 7 to 9 degrees.

The winds won't be as strong on Friday, but it'll still be a breezy day with moderate to fresh and gusty westerly winds, those winds still strong at times in coastal parts of the west and north. It looks like being a drier day overall for many, with some bright or sunny spells, the best of these across the southern half of the country. There'll be a little rain and drizzle at times though, becoming mainly confined to Ulster in the morning, while later in the day a little patchy light rain and drizzle will return along the west coast. Highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees.

Friday night will be mostly cloudy with a little rain and drizzle at times. Breezy too with moderate to fresh westerly winds, decreasing mostly moderate away from the north and west coast though overnight. Mild with lowest temperatures of 7 to 9 degrees.

A few bright spells are likely on Saturday morning, but in general Saturday will be a fairly cloudy day overall. There'll be a lot of dry weather in many areas, but a little light rain and drizzle here and there, especially in the north and west. Later in the day a spell of more persistent rain may start to move in to western parts. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees with winds backing southwesterly and freshening again.

Saturday night will be rather breezy with rain extending eastwards, heavy at times in the west and north. Very mild with lowest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees in moderate to fresh southwest winds.

Sunday, Christmas Eve, is likely to be very mild for much of the day and mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain, possibly heavy at times. A clearance to cooler, clearer weather will start to extend from the north later in the day. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13 or 14 degrees in moderate to fresh southwest winds.

The rain will continue to clear southwards early on Sunday night (Christmas Eve night) with cooler, clearer conditions following. A scattering of showers will follow too, mainly to the north and west, a few of hail too, mainly in northern coastal parts, with the chance of thunder there too. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees, so a notable drop from previous nights, and it looks like it'll be windy with fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds.

Monday, Christmas Day, will be cool and bright with sunshine, and it will be dry in many areas. There'll be some scattered showers around, mainly in Ulster and in coastal parts of the west too for a time, but they'll mostly die away in the afternoon. Cooler than previous days with highest temperatures closer to the seasonal normal, ranging from 6 to 9 degrees. It looks like it will be breezy for a time, but with the fresh and gusty westerly winds easing through the day.

Monday night (Christmas night): While there's uncertainty in the details and timing of weather systems this far out, it looks like it will be cold and clear for a time on Christmas night with light winds and some frost. Some rain and milder conditions are likely later in the night in the southwest and west. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees, with southeast winds starting to freshen.

Tuesday, St. Stephen's Day, is likely to be cloudy and breezy with outbreaks of rain extending from the west, turning heavy at times. Mild with the rain, with highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees, but turning cooler later as the rain clears. Breezy with moderate to fresh southeast winds veering southwesterly.

Further outlook: It looks like the weather will be changeable in the following days with spells of rain and breezy weather at times, followed by showers and with alternating milder and cool or colder spells, and for now it looks like nothing too cold on the horizon.