A weather expert has given a surprise update on whether Ireland can expect a white Christmas this year.
The unseasonably mild and settled outlook for the week ahead meant that a dusting of snow over the festive season was unlikely.
However, according to one weather model, a dip in temperatures ahead of the big day means there is a chance of snow.
Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather has indicated there is a small chance that snow could fall and he pinpointed which area of the country this could hit.
When asked if a white Christmas is on the cards, he said: "On the latest weather models, would you believe it, there is a chance.
"There are two main weather models that most people would look at and it's the European model and then the American model.
"The European model is mainly what Met Eireann use and it last night showed some snow charts for Christmas Day, primarily in the east.
"Again this morning, it's still showing it."
Mr O'Reilly said that although the forecast is far from certain, it seems there is an increased chance of snow.
"It's a little far out to have any confidence in that weather forecast and the American model wants to spoil that and bring in much milder air," he told RTE's Today with Claire Byrne show.
"It's very uncertain but there is a chance, and I notice that Paddy Power went from 6/1 to 5/1 for Dublin Airport overnight.
"It does look like there's an increased chance of it. We will have to keep looking east."
It seems that if the snow does arrive, it will mostly be confined to the east of the country with other regions even less likely to see any flurries falling.
"At the moment it's still primarily east because it's an easterly wind, so it's the east coast and eastern coastal counties," Mr O'Reilly explained.
"But it all depends, if you've got the cold and you've got the winds blowing up those showers off the Irish sea then they can blow further inland.
"So at the moment it's a slim enough chance but there's certainly a chance.
"That's unusual because very often at this time of year all the weather models will be showing the usual 6 or 7C but one of them is showing it.
"It does look like it's going to start turning cooler certainly around Christmas, it will be just before Christmas Day or just after it but the weather models are trending towards a colder spell of weather around Christmas time."
