Met Éireann has forecast mixed weather for the run up to Christmas, although the cold snap looks to be ending as temperatures are expected to remain above 0° over the next seven days.
A status yellow rain warning remains in place until 3:00p.m today for the counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Galway and Mayo, forecasting heavy rain with a possibility of spot flooding.
Meanwhile, there will be strong southerly winds across the rest of the country, with south-east gales moving westward throughout the day.
Showers can also be expected across southern and western counties, although these will clear for a largely breezy night with lowest temperatures of 3° to 7°.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow (Tuesday, December 20), will be windy again with sunny spells and scattered showers, some which may turn heavy with a possibility of hail, according to Met Éireann.
South-west gales will stay strong along Atlantic coasts with heavy showers in the north-west. This pattern will continue into the night, with lowest temperatures of 3° to 6°.
Wednesday
Wednesday (December 21), will see sunny spells with showers in the early part of the day although outbreaks of rain will develop in the south-west and gradually move across the country.
It will stay cloudy throughout Wednesday night with heavy rain and a possibility of localised flooding. However, temperatures will reamin above freezing, with the lowest estimated to be between 2° to 6°.
Thursday
Temperatures will stay between seven and ten degrees on Thursday (December 22), with outbreaks of rain clearing to give way to light breezes.
It will continue to be dry through the night although in the early hours of Friday (December 23) morning, some mist and fog patches will develop as persistent rain begins. Lowest temperatures are expected to be between two and six degrees.
Friday
It will be largely cloudy with rain in the southwest at first on Friday (December 23), which will extend northeastwards across the country with some heavy falls possible.
A clearance to sunny spells and showers will then follow from the southwest. Highest temperatures of 7° to 11°, coolest in the north.
Weather forecast for Santa
It will stay mixed throughout the day on Saturday (December 24) morning with some heavy showers although it’s expected to be drier in the evening to give way to a cold but clear sky for Santa to navigate later that night.