Eleven counties in England could see snow later today as an area of cloud and rain collides with colder air.
There’s a risk of snow in counties including Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, according to weather maps generated by WX Charts on Wednesday (January 8). Parts of Greater London might even get a dusting.
One map shows as much as 2cm falling per hour over Dorset and Hampshire at 6pm tonight, with parts of Kent also looking set for a couple of centimetres.
Snow could appear as far as south London, according to the Met Office, which has issued a yellow weather warning for the south of England.
The warning started at 9am today and continues until 11.59pm tonight. The Met Office has warned outbreaks of snow could push in from the southwest during the day.
This could potentially result in some “significant” accumulations of snow in places, with 2-5 cm possible fairly widely.
As much as 10cm could be seen over higher ground, especially over slopes facing east or northeast-facing, according to the Met Office. Rain or sleet is more likely near southern coasts.
The Met Office yellow weather warning applies to East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, West Sussex, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.
Met Office Chief Forecaster, Jason Kelly, said in a statement: “Weather conditions will start to change from the southwest on Wednesday, with fronts from the Atlantic bringing milder air along with moisture.
“As this moisture encounters the cold air, snowfall is expected particularly over higher ground and away from the coast.
“However, there is still uncertainty about how far north these fronts will reach. They could either skirt the south or move into southern England.”
He added that a snow warning is in place, but it is not guaranteed. Mr Kelly said: “The situation is being closely monitored. As the forecast is finely balanced, do stay up to date with the latest forecast for your area.”
According to the Met Office, Thursday and Friday will bring continued low temperatures with snow and ice warnings likely to be issued as confidence in the most likely impacted areas increases.
Fronts moving in from the southwest on Friday and Saturday raise the potential for more snow and the possibility of more weather warnings.
Deputy Chief Forecaster, Chris Almond, said: “Thursday will see another cold night, with potentially the lowest temperatures of the winter so far, -15C or so is possible in locations with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.
“In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK.
“This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.”
