A white Christmas is out of the question for 2023 with forecasters anticipating temperatures higher than those of a normal festive season.
Conditions over the coming days are set to vary considerably with an assortment of surprises – everything from warm and cold air, high winds and rain should sweep across the country in the coming days.
“In comparison to normal it will be quite mild through this week and into the weekend and the early days of next week with just a chance here and there of a cooler bit of weather but nothing to write home about,” explained Met Éireann meteorologist Aoife Kealy.
“In terms of the general week [ahead] it probably is maybe a degree or two above normal for the time of year. It’s not extreme by any means but it will be mild enough by the looks of things.”
Those temperature ranges could vary, but with some potential flux in mind they still should reach about nine or ten degrees, stretching possibly to as high as 13.
The highest temperature recorded for the month was in Dublin on December 2nd, 1948, when it reached 18.1.
At the start of this week though, Christmas preparations will be carried out against a mixed backdrop.
Tuesday looks like offering the finest conditions before things turn dull and damp. From Wednesday on there will be patchy rainfall, not heavy but persistent. The most significant development ahead is the strength of the wind from midweek.
“Particularly on Thursday the winds are going to be quite strong in places and particularly of course along coasts,” said Ms Kealy.
“If anybody is getting out and about it will just be something to keep an eye on really this week. I know people will be starting to travel and maybe finish up the last-minute Christmas shopping towards the end of the week so that will be something to keep an eye on.”
Those winds will likely have let up by the time Christmas arrives but uncertain, showery conditions will take over and it could be briefly cooler on Christmas Eve.
“It will be quite brief if the temperatures do drop off a little bit because the milder air will be back from the west for Christmas Day,” said Ms Kealy.
“There is still a little bit of uncertainty in the exact timing of all of those things but for now anyway it looks like essentially that milder air is going to dominate our weather for the next week or so.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
