Baby it’s warm outside: Highs of 14 degrees recorded in Dublin

Met Éireann says the ‘exceptionally mild spell’ is to last until the end of the week

Met Éireann has forecast this ‘exceptionally mild’ spell to last until the end of the week. File photograph: Eric Luke/The Irish Times.

Forget Christmas, the Irish climate has decided to fast forward straight into Spring and skip all that cold stuff that is supposed to come inbetween.

Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but there is no denying the fact the 14 degree temperature Dublin is currently basking in is unseasonably warm.

The good news is that Met Éireann has forecast this "exceptionally mild" spell to last until the end of the week.

Wednesday will see highs of 16 degrees in some parts and it will be mostly dry and bright with just scattered showers of rain.

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Thursday will be much the same with highs of 13 degrees and bright sunny spells developing later in the day.

Friday will stay warm with temperatures of 13 degrees, though that will drop to a fresher 10 degrees over the weekend.

This exceptionally mild period comes one year after Storm Desmond gripped our shores and had RTÉ reporter Teresa Mannion warning the nation not to make "uneccessary journeys".

Storm Desmond was the fourth of 10 such storms over November and December 2015, which led to severe flooding in the midlands and west along the banks of the Shannon and tributaries.

Just last week, lows of minus 5 degrees were recorded in parts of Leinster and Met Éireann issued weather warnings due to heavy fog and low temperatures.

Meteorologist Pat Clarke said the unusually dry weather this November and early December is influenced by the Continental weather system which brought easterly winds, fog and frost.

Niamh Towey

Niamh Towey

Niamh Towey is an Irish Times journalist