Santa may need to pack shorts this year

WE are set for one of the warmest Christmas Days on record — with temperatures 26C higher than last year.

Met Éireann is forecasting highs of 12C tomorrow. Temperatures already hit 13.3C this week at Shannon Airport.

The weather service said earlier December 25 records were not available — but a temperature topping 13C would verge on record-breaking, as according to Britain’s Met Office the North’s top Christmas Day temperature was only 13C, in Carnlough, Co Antrim, in 1977 and Belfast in 1988.

Ireland will have a warmer Christmas than 12C Bethlehem, Israel, 7C Tehran, Iran; and Athens, Barcelona and Nice, all of which will see 11C.

Santa can also ditch the red coat and sleigh anti-freeze — because tonight’s minimum temperatures will be 9C or 10C, exceptionally mild for middle of winter.

Temperatures early tomorrow will be 26C warmer than last year’s snow-carpeted Christmas — the coldest ever — when Casement, Co Dublin, recorded -15.7C.

St Stephen’s Day will stay mild, which is good news for shoppers seeking something in the sales.

Irish Weather Online forecaster Peter O’Donnell said: “Christmas Day will be very mild and mostly cloudy, with highs from 11C to 13C and patchy rain or drizzle mainly in the west and north.

“St Stephen’s Day will perhaps be even warm with hazy sun at times in a few places and highs 12C to 14C.”