MET ÉIREANN HAS all but confirmed there will be no white Christmas this year, with a mostly dry day expected on 25 December.

However, the festive season will largely be marked by damp conditions as wet spells persist in the days ahead.

Tonight will see outbreaks of rain gradually spread northwards to cover the country, with patchy rain later tonight breaking up into clear spells and showers towards morning. Lowest temperatures will be 0 to 4 degrees.

Christmas Eve will start out with a mix of cloud, bright intervals and showers, which will become increasingly isolated over central and northern areas during the afternoon.

However, there will be sunny spells across the country, with afternoon highs of between 5 and 8 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures will drop on the night of 24 December, when clear skies over much of the country which will see the mercury land between -2 and +2 degrees Celsius, while mist and foggy patches will also occur.

The cold weather will continue into Christmas morning, when it will be a frosty start for many after mist and foggy patches clear.

There will initially be crisp, sunny spells in eastern and northern areas, but these will later give way to cloudier conditions from the west and southwest during the morning, with afternoon highs of just 3 to 8 degrees Celsius.

It will however, stay mostly dry during the day, although patchy rain and drizzle will develop in parts of Connacht and west Munster during the evening.

Later on, it will be mild and breezy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the west and south becoming widespread across the country, with occasionally heavy bursts and minimum temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

St Stephen’s Day will see milder temperatures, although Met Éireann expects it to be cloudy and wet with outbreaks of rain and drizzle.

There will be some heavy rainfalls, with maximum temperatures of around 8 to 10 degrees.