Ireland weather: Met Eireann delivers surprising snow alert as warnings issued to 13 counties

Met Éireann has forecast the potential arrival of snow in the days before Christmas as a large part of the country is affected by wind warnings this weekend.

13 counties in total - Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry - have all been issued with Status Yellow wind warnings that will come into effect at various stages on Saturday and remain in place in parts until 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

A warning issued by the UK Met Office for five of the six counties in Northern Ireland came into effect at 7am on Saturday morning and will remain in place until just before midnight on Saturday night.

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The wind warning affecting Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo came into effect at 3am on Saturday morning and will remain in place until 2pm on Sunday.

Clare, Kerry and Limerick, meanwhile, will be affected by a wind warning from 3pm on Saturday until 3pm on Sunday. In all eight counties on the western seaboard, Met Éireann has warned of the potential for wave overtopping and/or spray, difficult travelling conditions - especially near the coast - and some fallen trees.

While hopes of a White Christmas have long been dashed at this stage, meanwhile, the national forecaster has raised the possibility of snow falling before then, as early as this weekend.

A White Christmas appears very unlikely, with temperatures set to reach as high as 13 degrees next week

Showers on Saturday night are expected to be widespread across the country, bringing “a mix of rain, hail, sleet and snow, the snow mainly on hills and in the north of the country,” according to the latest Met Éireann forecast. Those showers will continue into Sunday morning, with any snow likely to be confined to the west and north of the country on Saturday afternoon.

After chilly nights on Saturday and Sunday, when the mercury will dip to lows of 2-4 degrees, it’s going to turn very mild from Monday, with no more than light rain and drizzle and temperatures rising to highs of 13 degrees from Christmas Eve on Tuesday through to St. Stephen’s Day on Thursday, with little to no dip in temperatures expected overnight.

Check out the Met Éireann forecast for the coming days below.

Saturday

Rain in the south and east will clear quickly this morning, then it will be a windy day with sunshine and showers. Fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds will reach gale force along Atlantic coasts. Afternoon temperatures 6 to 10 degrees.

Saturday night will still be windy with showers becoming widespread overnight, some heavy and wintry with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and snow, the snow mainly on hills and in the north of the country. Lowest temperatures 2 to 4 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds veering northwesterly overnight.

Sunday

Sunday morning will continue windy with blustery showers, some heavy with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and possibly some snow, becoming confined to the west and north in the afternoon. Fresh to strong and gusty northwesterly winds will reach gale force on western and northern coasts. Winds will begin to ease towards evening. Afternoon temperatures 5 to 8 degrees.

On Sunday night, showers will gradually become isolated and there'll be clear spells for a time. Cloud will increase from the west overnight with rain and drizzle developing there by morning. Lowest temperatures 2 to 5 degrees with northwest winds easing and veering westerly.

Monday

On Monday, light rain or drizzle will spread eastwards through the morning and continue for the rest of the day. Light to moderate southerly winds will bring a change in temperature, with temperatures slowly rising to reach 10 to 13 degrees in the afternoon.

Christmas Eve - St. Stephen’s Day

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day will all be mostly cloudy and apart from some light rain or drizzle at times it'll be mostly dry. Day time temperatures will reach 11 or 12 degrees with little or no change in temperature through the night.

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