IT may only be raining at the moment but forecasters are predicting snow across most of Dorset by 6pm tonight.

Local authorities are preparing for the worst and drivers have been warned to take extra care when they set off in rush hour traffic.

Bournemouth, the New Forest and north Dorset are all predicted to have sleet at 5pm and light snow at 6pm. The evening will be dry before more light snow falls at midnight, according to forecasters.


Two warnings for snow and ice have been issued by the Met Office for Thursday night and into Friday.

They are warning icy conditions could lead to the risk of disruption with difficult driving conditions and expect longer journey times.

Accumulations of between two and four centimetres could be seen in some low lying areas on Friday morning with potential for between five and 10 centimetres on high ground. 

Simon Legg, Street Scene Operations Manager at Borough of Poole, said: “Borough of Poole are prepared for wintery weather with a stock 1,200 tonnes of salt, and six gritters which grit the main roads of Poole.

"In addition to this, there is a supplementary gritting crew on standby in light of today’s weather forecast.  

"We will continue to monitor the weather conditions and update our residents regularly.”  

Dorset will be gritting primary routes at 8pm on Thursday night, with local community links being gritted during another run at 3am on Friday.

A Dorset County Council spokesperson advised motorists to "prepare for icy conditions".

"Please drive with caution this evening as temperatures across the county are set to plummet," they said. 

"Although the risk of snow is minimal, there is a very high risk of ice this evening, through to tomorrow morning.

"Our Dorset Highways gritting crews are on standby to treat the main network this afternoon at 3pm to get a precautionary level of salt on the road. Crews will be back out at around 8pm, when the rain and wintry showers clear, to further treat the main network and prevent the rain turning to ice as temperatures drop.

"We’ll be treating the community link routes at 3am on Friday to help access onto the main road network for your morning commute."

Bournemouth School for Girls have cancelled after school activities taking place on Thursday afternoon. 

The AA has issued advice to drivers who may be caught up in the wintry weather.

It includes:

  • Accelerate gently, use low revs and change up to a higher gear as quickly as possible
  • Move off in second gear as this will help reduce wheel slip
  • Get your speed right and maintain safe stopping distances between you and the car in front, leaving as much as 10 times the normal recommended gap
  • When approaching a bend, brake before you actually start to turn the steering wheel. If your car does lose grip try not to panic; the key thing is to take your foot off the accelerator and make sure that your wheels are pointing in the direction you want to go in
  • If you do encounter a skid, steer gently into it - for example, if the rear of the car is sliding to the right, steer to the right. Do not take your hands off the steering wheel or stamp your foot on the brakes
  • When driving in heavy snow, make sure that you use your dipped headlights. Relying on daytime running lights is not enough, because they don’t always put lights on the back of your car.