Gritters were out on the roads of Dorset last night as temperatures finally dropped.

After the warmest December on record, temperatures fell to 0C last night and warnings for snow have been issued for the north of England for today.

It's only the fourth time since October that the gritters have been out, thanks to the unseasonably warm November and December.

The weekend is expected to be warmer, with thunder forecast for Saturday, but Monday will see the start of a week of much colder weather, with lows of 0C and feels like temperatures of -4C in some parts of the county.

Thursday will be the coldest day, with feels like as low as -4C in Bournemouth, Poole and Swanage.

And some forecasters are tentatively predicting snow showers for Thursday night in Dorset.

The Weather Channel - who earlier in the week said the whole country should be braced for heavy snowfall - have snow showers in their long range forecast for Thursday next week and a temperature of 0C. 

Local amateur forecaster Jim Smith says it's too early to tell if it will snow - but that it's possible.

He said that for Bournemouth to see snow, all conditions have to be right and - as was proved last February when much heralded snow failed to arrive - the forecasts can change as little as 48hrs in advance.

 

 

More on that later.