A wet Christmas is more likely than a white one this year, according to weather forecasters.
Met Éireann expects light rain at times on Christmas Eve, while Christmas Day is forecast to bring a mixture of showers and dry periods.
Temperatures are set to stay between five and nine degrees on December 24th and 25th.
It comes as a status yellow fog warning is in place for Ireland until 11am on Monday, after it came into force in the early hours of the morning.
Fog patches will be dense in parts, giving reduced visibilities and poor driving conditions, Met Éireann warned.
Status Yellow Fog Warning issued
Affected regions: Ireland
Valid from: 10:30pm Sunday 19/12/2021
Valid to: 11am Monday 20/12/2021
For full details see: https://t.co/ZsjQsKCXDy pic.twitter.com/vgL6CY2Zuw— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 19, 2021
Met Éireann meteorologist, Deirdre Lowe, said: “Most of us will enjoy a spell of dry and quiet weather in the lead up to Christmas, it’ll be fairly cloudy though and some spots will see a little patchy mist or drizzle in thicker cloud.
“It’ll stay fairly cloudy during the nights which should keep frosts at bay, though the odd patch of frost can’t be ruled out where clearer skies develop.”
Ms Lowe said it remains “too early to say with certainty what weather we can expect on Christmas Day."
"At the moment it looks like the current blocking high pressure will be replaced by low pressure, increasing the chance of unsettled weather. There are also some early signs of a possible cold spell over the Christmas period but it’s still very uncertain, so keep an eye on the latest Met Éireann forecast," she said.
Latest forecast
According to the latest forecast, Monday will be a dull day with mist and fog gradually clearing through the morning, and a few brighter spells in places. Whilst most areas will remain dry, a little patchy drizzle is possible with highest temperatures of five to nine degrees.
Tuesday will continue mostly dry and cloudy, with the chance of a few spots of drizzle. Rain will spread countrywide on Wednesday morning, with dry conditions for a time in the afternoon to be followed again by more rain in the evening.
Any lingering overnight rain in the northeast will clear on Thursday morning to give drier conditions, apart from a little drizzle. Some brighter spells will develop and it will be quite mild, with highest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees.
Friday, Christmas Eve, will bring rain at times, and it will grow colder with highs of seven to nine degrees.
Christmas Day looks like it will bring some further rain at times, but dry periods also. Highest temperatures of around five to nine degrees are expected, with some sleet possible on hills over north Ulster where it will be coldest.
