Ireland is set to be hotter than Barcelona, Rome and Athens today

The island of Ireland is set to be warmer than Barcelona, Rome and Athens today, as temperatures in the Emerald Isle climb to highs of 13°C.

Today's weather has been described as ''extremely mild'' for December in Ireland, as temperatures hit well into double figures for most of the country. While showers, cloud and fog are expected later in the day, according to Met Éireann's website, the people of Ireland should expect highest temperatures of up to 13°C across the country. ''Very mild today with highs of 10 to 13 degrees in southerly breezes. The day will stay dry most of the time but some patchy mist or drizzle will occur here and there.'' This is indeed higher than the forecasted weather in Barcelona, Rome and Athens, which are 12°C, 9°C and 12°C respectively. Southwesterly winds are set to be light to moderate with sunny spells expected in some places. According to Accuweather, tonight's weather will be seriously mild too - with highs of 10°C forecasted. As well as today’s forecast, a preliminary Christmas forecast was also released by Met Éireann - stating just how probably a white Christmas might be. Spoiler alert: don't get your hopes up. Christmas Eve in Ireland this year is expected to be mild and mostly dry, with Met Éireann adding that there may be “rain later in the west and north in freshening southerly winds.” Christmas Day is expected to be “cooler with showers and then a possibility of wet and windy weather to follow over the following few days with a risk of gales but uncertain at this stage.”