What's the weather like for Christmas week?
It looks like we're getting a 'Christmas Selection' rather than a White Christmas this year.
Met Éireann's Jean Byrne has been studying the charts to see what lies ahead as the big day approaches, and says we can prepare ourselves for a mixed bag of fairly typical Irish Christmas weather.
It is expected to turn a lot colder on Wednesday night and into Thursday, with some wintry showers likely.
These may include some sleet in parts of the west and north, and possibly snow over high ground.
Highest temperatures of between 4C and 7C are forecast for Thursday.
Towards the end of the week, it will turn milder, briefly, and winds will strengthen on Friday, possibly to stormy status. It will also be wet on Friday, according to current indications.
On Saturday, it will turn very cold again with the risk of some wintry showers, with those conditions likely to persist into Christmas Day.
For anyone taking to the roads in the coming days, AA Roadwatch is predicting heavy traffic on the following routes between December 19 and 24:
- M50 southbound from J7 Lucan to J17 M11
- M7 Dublin/ Limerick Rd especially between J6 Castlewarden and J10 Naas South
- N40 South Ring Rd in Cork City; particularly between J6 Kinsale Rd and the Dunkettle Interchange
- N11 Dublin/ Wexford Rd from J5 Bray North to Kilmacanogue
- N4/ M4 Dublin/ Sligo Rd from Chapelizod Bypass to J7 Maynooth and also further west through Carrick on Shannon
- N21 Limerick/ Tralee Rd past Patrickswell to Adare and then again to go through Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale
- N18 Limerick/ Galway Rd through Gort and again further north from Clarinbridge to Oranmore
- N20 Cork/ Limerick Rd between Mallow and Buttevant
