The harsh and disruptive weather across Northern Ireland is expected to ease for the festive period with a “grey and mild” Christmas Day forecast.
A spokesperson from the Met office confirmed a white Christmas is not likely with temperatures “comfortably above average” and potential “record breaking” highs on Christmas eve.
The spokesperson said: “It is more likely to be a grey and mild Christmas. Temperatures will be comfortably above average for the time of year in Northern Ireland.”
The Met Office forecasts blustery conditions felt around the region set to calm as temperatures will rise to double figures.
It comes after intense winds battered every area of Northern Ireland following a weather warning which cautioned gusts of up to 70mph in some places.
Some of those making their way home for Christmas saw travel disruptions with strong winds affecting journeys by air and sea.
Read more
Ferry operators were forced to cancel journeys due to battering winds
Stefan Donnelly (35) discovered his ferry from Cairnryan to Larne had been cancelled after travelling from London to Scotland.
The marketing manager, who had been travelling home for Christmas, criticised the lack of communication from P&O ferries after only finding out about it on social media.
He said: “There wasn’t any communication from P&O, I didn’t get an email or a text message or anything.
“I was on the phone for about an hour-and-a-half but eventually got through to someone.”
Starting from December 23, temperatures will rise to above average with Christmas Eve particularly mild.
A Met office spokesperson said: “Temperatures will be massively above average for the time of the year. There is the potential for some local records breached in terms of overnight.
“We could have one of our warmest overnight Christmas eves in Northern Ireland to date.”
Windy weather was seen across all six counties in NI
Christmas Day is predicated to be “largely cloudy” but mostly dry with light winds and chances of rain preceding to the west.
The Met Office said there is currently “no sign of prolonged and severe cold” over the holiday season which will mean no white Christmas this year.
A white Christmas is defined by as at least one snowflake being observed at one or more of its reporting stations on Christmas Day.
Temperatures will rise to be between 10C and 13C in what will be exceptionally mild conditions, close to the Christmas Day record of 14.8C, BBC weather forecaster Barra Best confirmed.
In a social media post he said: “No White Christmas for 2024! Instead, it’s set to be very mild, with temperatures nudging close to the Christmas Day record of 14.8°C, last seen in Belfast in 2016.”
Boxing Day will see similar, with cloudy, mild and mostly dry conditions expected to persist.
The Met office said temperatures will begin to drop in the lead up to the New Year however it will remain dry with some scattered sunshine in the east.
“We will start to see temperatures decline as we move between Christmas and New Year’s. It will be dry with a lot of cloud in the mix but there will be brighter spells in the east.”