Status yellow fog warning in place as winter solstice streamed live from Newgrange

A status yellow fog warning that will remain in place until 11am this morning coincides with the first day of the live stream of sunrise from the chamber at Newgrange.

The winter solstice is to be streamed online for the second year in a row because of Covid-19 concerns, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has said.

Traditionally a small number of people, drawn by lottery, were able to view the event in the summer and winter, weather permitting, from inside the tomb. But the pandemic has made that impossible for the last two years. The live-streaming can bring the phenomenon in the 5,000-years-old monument to viewers all over the world.

Fog patches will be dense in parts today, giving reduced visibilities and poor driving conditions, Met Éireann warned.

Meanwhile a wet Christmas is more likely than a white one this year, according to weather forecasters.

Met Éireann expects light rain at time on Christmas Eve, while Christmas Day looks to be a mix of showers and dry periods.

Temperatures are set to stay between five and nine degrees on December 24th and 25th.

Met Éireann meteorologist, Deirdre Lowe, said: “Most of us will enjoy a spell of dry and quiet weather in the lead up to Christmas, it’ll be fairly cloudy though and some spots will see a little patchy mist or drizzle in thicker cloud.

“It’ll stay fairly cloudy during the nights which should keep frosts at bay, though the odd patch of frost can’t be ruled out where clearer skies develop.”

Ms Lowe said it remains “too early to say with certainty what weather we can expect on Christmas Day."

"At the moment it looks like the current blocking high pressure will be replaced by low pressure, increasing the chance of unsettled weather. There are also some early signs of a possible cold spell over the Christmas period but it’s still very uncertain, so keep an eye on the latest Met Éireann forecast," she said.