A mild Christmas is set to give way to periods of intense rainfall and powerful winds over the coming days, followed by a sharp cold snap by the middle of the week, with an arctic air mass set to bring wintry showers.
Status yellow rain warnings have been issued for Cork, Kerry and Donegal.
The Donegal weather warning lasts until 11am on Tuesday, while the warning for the other two counties – issued on Monday – applies from 6am on Tuesday to 6am on Wednesday.
Persistent or heavy rain is forecast in the three counties, with the possibility of localised flooding and hazardous driving conditions.
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Met Éireann said it will become windier on Monday evening and wind speeds could reach near gale force in the west of the country. A wind warning in is place for counties Mayo, Galway and Donegal from midnight until 11am on Tuesday, while gale warnings are in place for all coasts off Ireland and the Irish Sea from 9pm until 6pm tomorrow.
The forecaster said rain will extend across the country on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, and would be heavy in places, with spot flooding possible. It will be relatively mild with temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees with winds set to ease during the day.
Met Éireann said temperatures across the country will start to drop sharply over the latter part of New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of January 1st and in some cases may fall to -6, with widespread frost and localised wintry showers forecast.
The weather is expected to remain very cold for the remainder of the week with highest daily temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees in mostly dry and clear conditions. Met Éireann has also warned of patches of fog and freezing fog overnight during the cold spell.
The UK’s Met Office, which issues warnings for Northern Ireland, has warned of a “very complicated weather forecast” in coming days and says there was “potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas”.
“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans,” chief forecaster Andy Page said.
Meanwhile, a rare severe flood warning of “danger to life” has been issued for part of northern Scotland on Hogmanay, as a heavy downpour of rain is expected to burst riverbanks.
Aviemore and nearby areas in the Highlands are bracing for extensive river flooding on Tuesday morning after a night of continuous rain.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is warning communities in the north west and central Highlands to prepare for the impact of flooding in the run-up to Hogmanay.
A yellow weather warning of heavy rain and snow is currently in force across most of Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, while an amber warning for rain is in place for an area around Inverness on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, Sepa warned people around Aviemore should act immediately, saying: “There is a danger to life. If you are in an affected area and are in danger and need assistance, call emergency responders.”
On Monday afternoon, organisers announced outdoor events at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations on Monday and Tuesday would be cancelled, including the street party and concert in Princes Street Gardens – due to be headlined by Scottish band Texas – and the midnight fireworks.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “Due to ongoing high winds and inclement weather in Edinburgh city centre, we regret to announce that outdoor events scheduled for Monday and December 31 are unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.”
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