A milder than average Christmas could mean that temperatures may plummet to below zero for the New Year, according to a Met Office spokesperson.
Christmas Eve was the warmest on record for Northern Ireland after the country experienced exceptionally mild conditions.
On Tuesday afternoon, temperatures reached 14.3C at Magilligan on the north coast.
This surpassed the previous record of 13.9C in Armagh which was recorded in 1942 – 82 years ago.
Christmas day was also mild and slightly breezy, with Boxing Day following a similar theme with people out shopping or enjoying the extensive sporting calendar experiencing just the odd outbreak of rain but generally dry and pleasant conditions.
The mild weather will continue into Friday with some scattered showers but turning mainly dry into the afternoon.
A Met Office spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph that temperatures are around four degrees higher than average.
“In Northern Ireland at this time of year we normally see temperatures reach about seven or eight degrees, but it has continually been above 10°C over the past few days,” they said.
“Saturday we should begin to see a bit of a change, with a band of rain pushing southwards and becoming dry and clear into the afternoon and evening.
“While it will not be massively windy, it will still be a rather breezy day.
“Sunday will again be a mixture of bright and sunny spells and some light showers but will be generally dry and still around the nine or ten-degree mark, so not too chilly.”
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They added that Monday will bring with it some cooler weather as we head towards New Years Eve and New Years Day.
“Heavy rain will feed in from the north and west on Monday and push southwards into the second half of the day, with the weather remaining unsettled overnight and into Tuesday,” the spokesperson said.
“Tuesday will be colder but will be brighter than Monday.
“Into the evening of New Year’s Eve some of the northerly winds will not be as strong but that will mean the evening will feel colder, maybe reaching a maximum temperature of six or seven degrees, so will be a chilly night for those out and about with some showers coming in later in the evening.
“The colder weather front could plummet to around freezing overnight.”
Some areas of the country could be waking up in 2025 to some frost according to forecasters, with areas like Katesbridge in Co Down expected to see the worst of the cold weather.
“It’s a chilly start to the beginning of the new year with a couple of colder days ahead, and there could be some winteriness in there with rain, sleet or hill snow around in the first couple of days of 2025,” the Met Office spokesperson continued.
“There is definitely a noticeable change from the milder weather over Christmas, being much warmer than average for this time of year, to a much cooler couple of days expected in the new year – far below the average temperature for that time of year.
“Some of the coldest spots across Northern Ireland will be the likes of Katesbridge and places sheltered from the winds.”