IF YOU have dreams of building snowmen and having snowball fights this Christmas, it looks like you will be left disappointed when December 25 rolls around.
Across Britain and Ireland, the mild weather we are experiencing is forecast to continue into Christmas this week.
RTÉ forecaster John Eagleton told The Irish Post that there is little chance of a white Christmas as the double-figure temperatures persist in Ireland.
“Temperatures are going to stay up,” he said. “There won’t even be much frost this week.”
“There will be a cold snap on Christmas Eve but aside from that it will stay fairly mild.”
Despite the unusually warm Christmas in Ireland, Mr Eagleton does not see it being a record-breaking year.
“It’ll probably be around 10 or 11 degrees but at temperatures of that level, I wouldn’t see it being one of the warmest on record.”
Instead of snow, we can expect plenty of rain this Christmas, with Mr Eagleton saying rain will carry through the week, particularly on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Things will be similar in Britain for the festive period, with snow so far only appearing on higher ground.
“There has been some snow in the Scottish Highlands and on higher ground in parts but most places won’t see snow this year,” a Met Office spokesperson said.
"Temperatures will hit double figures in a lot of parts of Northern Ireland and it will be quite mild overall in England, Scotland and Wales."
This year also marks the first time ever that bookmakers Ladbrokes stopped taking bets on snow at Christmas - due to a lack of interest.
