No white Christmas on horizon with bright and dry days forecast

Ireland is not going to have a white Christmas this year but the weather will be pleasantly dry and bright in comparison with the squally conditions of late.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are forecast to be cold and bright with high pressure settling over the country early next week.

Good weather is expected too for those planning to take to the roads over the coming days, though there will be colder conditions and some frost at night.

Friday evening will see temperatures fall back to zero in the southern half of the country. Saturday will be largely dry and sunny spells with some scattered showers in the south.

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Sunday will be wet in the southwest, west and northwest, but rainfall amounts will be moderate in comparison with recently where Storm Elsa caused flash flooding in some places and submerged cars in Salthill, Galway.

Monday is looks like being mainly dry with sunny spells and just a few showers. Highest temperatures of seven to nine degrees are forecast with moderate westerly breezes.

The high pressure will see temperatures fall to five or six degrees for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but conditions are forecast to be pleasant and sunny.

St Stephen’s Day will see a return to more unsettled conditions with rain in many parts of the country, a pattern which is likely to continue for the rest of Christmas week, according to the long-term models.

Met Éirean forecaster Liz Coleman said "nothing extreme is coming up in our models" and conditions for driving should be ideal over the Christmas getaway.