What weather Santa is bringing for Christmas

Christmas weather will be mixed but mild and will settle down after Storm Barbara, according to Met Éireann.

Christmas Eve, Saturday, will start cool and bright with well scattered showers. However, outbreaks of rain will spread from the west later and it will become blustery again with fresh to strong southwest winds. Afternoon temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees Celsius but rising further during the evening.

Christmas Eve night will be mild and blustery with rain at times and fresh, gusty southwest winds. Temperatures will stay around 12 or 13 degrees overnight.

Christmas Day will start mild and breezy. It's looking rather cloudy with patchy rain about Atlantic coastal counties, but drier and brighter in the east and southeast during daylight hours. However, rain will become widespread and persistent during the evening and early night. Highest temperatures of 12 or 13 degrees, but turning colder later in the afternoon and evening in fresh to strong southwesterly winds.

St Stephens Day will be colder, though brighter with scattered showers in the west and north. Highest temperatures of 7 to 9 degrees in moderate westerly breezes.

Thereafter Met Éireann it looks like high pressure will become dominant with a lot of dry and bright weather as a result. Frost will occur at night initially, but with ongoing southerly breezes it is likely to become milder as the week goes on.