Weather: Mixed picture for Northern Ireland heading into the New Year - with potential flooding and wintry weather on the way

A spokesperson for the Met Office says it’s a very showery picture for New Years Eve. There will be a risk of showers into the evening, particularly in the north and east of Northern Ireland.

Come midnight there could be very heavy showers along the North Coast and the north east of County Antrim.

Further south and west the showers will be more scattered and there is a better chance of drier clearer spells to see in the New Year.

There will be a brisk north – north westerly wind making it feel quite chilly.

Winds will ease overnight and there could be a touch of frost in some rural spots.

For New Years Day there will be increasing amounts of sunshine across the province, with an odd shower early on.

But most of New Years Day morning and afternoon will be quite sunny. Temperatures will remain chilly at around six or seven degrees.

Unfortunately towards the evening there will be more rain coming in from the south west – with a wet and windy New Year’s night ahead.

The Met Office say a yellow rain warning might be needed for Northern Ireland for tomorrow night. One or two inches of rain could fall – and on already saturated ground that could lead to local flooding problems.

Going into Tuesday the heavy rain should clear away to the north. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be a mix of sunshine and scattered showers – and quite breezy.

By the end of the week, winds could turn northerly – and possibly a bit more wintry.