Dublin weather: Mixed bag in store for the next few days before winter really takes hold

It’s the first weekend of the new year - the new decade even - and the forecast for today and tomorrow isn’t half bad.

Met Eireann's weather experts tell us we’re in for a fairly mild Saturday and Sunday - before winter makes a return early next week.

Here’s what the Glasnevin-based weather gurus have to say about the climate in Dublin over the coming days:

Today (Saturday, 4 January)

Cool, mostly dry and rather cloudy today. Some bright or possibly sunny breaks may come through at times, but overall there will be a lot of cloud with a slight chance of the odd spot of drizzle later.

Highest temperatures of about 8 degrees Celsius in moderate southwest breezes.

Tonight

Mostly dry and rather cloudy tonight, but there will be some patchy drizzle especially towards morning. Moderate south to southwest breezes and overnight lows of 6 or 7 degrees Celsius.

The AA's tips for driving on ice and snow

Tomorrow (Sunday, 5 January)

It'll be mostly cloudy and breezy on Sunday, with a little patchy rain or drizzle at times but good dry periods also and some brighter spells also.

Fresh and gusty south to southwest breezes with afternoon temperatures of 10 or 11 degrees Celsius.

National Outlook for next week

Met Eireann Summary:

The coming week will be much more unsettled than recently, the weather bureau chiefs say, noting that as a very "mobile Atlantic regime" takes a firm hold, it will bring "spells of wet and very windy weather".

Oh dear....

In a nutshell, it’s looking like it’s going to be cold, wet and windy on Monday with highs of 7 to 10 degrees Celsius, Met Eireann say.

How cold does it have to get before you can go home?

Tuesday promises more of the same, with "spells of rain, persistent and heavy at times" in parts of the west and north, though there will be drier periods in the east and south, the experts say.

Wednesday isn’t much better/worse, though it will start off dry with highs of 7 to 10 degrees Celsius…. but then  Thursday sounds awful.

How to drive safely in high winds

Met Eireann say this: "Wet and blustery conditions early Thursday , will give way to colder, showery conditions and possibly very strong northwesterly winds during the afternoon. Frosty on Thursday night as winds moderate."

Wrap up folks - it looks like we're in a for a wet, windy and cold couple of weeks.