Ireland experienced a dramatic shift in the weather today after many parts of the country saw temperatures reach 13C today.
The unusually warm weather for December comes in a sharp contrast with the freezing cold weather of last week that saw ice and snow blanket the country.
And there is more extreme weather on the way as Met Eireann has issued two new Status Yellow wind warnings for five counties over the next few days.
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The strongest winds are expected in the west and northwest on Tuesday night with the national forecaster warning of a "blustery night".
Strong winds with gusts reaching up to 100 km/hr are expected to batter Galway and Mayo on Monday and Tuesday night until early on Wednesday morning.
The wind alert is valid from 16.44 on Monday until 6am on Wednesday and reads: "South to southwest winds will occasionally reach mean speeds of 50 to 60 km/hr and gusts of 90 to 100 km/hr (in western areas mainly)."
Meanwhile, at midnight on Wednesday, a Status Yellow wind alert kicks in for three more counties; Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo.
It will be valid all night, until 6am on Wednesday morning, and reads: "South to southwest winds occasionally reaching mean speeds 50 to 65 km/hr, gusts 90 to 100 km/hr."
Meanwhile, with Christmas less than a week away, there’s uncertainty over the forecast.
Met Eireann has yet to issue its official forecast for December 25, however weather experts say there is a potential for “stormy” conditions.
And according to European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) weather charts, snow has been ruled out.
Independent forecaster Alan O’Reilly shared long-range weather maps to his popular Carlow Weather social media accounts, explaining: “Huge uncertainty still on the forecast for this weekend. A low system is forecast to track near Ireland Christmas Day with the GFS model keeping it South of Ireland but the ECMWF brings it into Ireland with potential for a stormy Christmas night.
“Hopefully the ECMWF model is not the correct outcome as it has some nasty winds Christmas night and St. Stephen’s Day.”
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