Cooler temperatures, cloudy skies and rain is expected over the next few days, as the New Year is expected to provide more wintry weather in stark contrast to the glorious weather experienced over Christmas.

Revellers who are planning to be ringing in 2017 at an open-air event are advised to wrap up, as the lowest temperature for New Year's Eve on Saturday is expected to drop to a rather chilly 7°C, the Met. Office said this afternoon. 

The forecast shows a possibility that certain places will also experience light rain showers on the day.

While both December 31 and January 2nd are expected to be partly cloudy, the good news is that New Year's Day is expected to enjoy long, sunny intervals, the forecasters said.

The temperature of 7°C is also the forecast lowest temperature for both New Year's Day and January 2. Meteorological records show that 2015 started on the coldest note yet, when the temperature dropped to a minimum of 2.1°C.

The maximum temperature for these three days will gradually get higher; going from 12°C on New Year’s Eve to 14°C on January 1 to 15°C on the second day of the year.

Light to moderate winds are expected to blow throughout the weekend, becoming moderate to rather strong during the night of January 2.