It was almost seasonal weather – but still warm enough for some ladies at the Leopardstown Races to show off their outfits.
Fog blanketed parts of the country on Thursday, especially Leopardstown racecourse in Dublin, as people cocooned for festivities sought a reprieve.
There was no snow, and even speculation it might have been the mildest Christmas day ever – but no records were broken.
Friday will be mostly cloudy with sunny interludes, but areas of mist and fog persist again. There will be plenty of dry weather overall but with some patches of rain and drizzle, especially in the south and west. Highest temperatures will be 10C to 12C, with light to moderate south to southwest winds.
Overall, the outlook is for changeable weather, turning colder for the New Year but lots of uncertainty at present, Met Éireann said.
Friday night will be cloudy and frost-free, with temperatures of 7C to 10C and some patchy drizzle in western counties. Saturday morning, a band of rain will move in from the Atlantic to affect Connacht and west Ulster, before extending eastwards over the country during the late afternoon.
Clearer and colder weather will move into the northwest in the evening, with temperatures of 10C to 12C and moderate southwest winds.
Any rain in the southeast clears quickly on Saturday night as colder weather extends from the northwest, with temperatures of 3C to 6C and stronger winds on northern coasts.
The country will be mainly dry on Sunday with some sunny spells and temperatures of 8C to 11C.
However, there’ll be a few showers in the west. A fairly mild and breezy day is forecast for Monday, with patchy rain in the north. The best chance for any sunny spells is further south and east.
