FORECASTERS have warned of the possibility of snow and ice in Dorset this week along with heavy rain and strong winds.

The Met Office has today issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice from Tuesday evening.

It follows two warnings for heavy rain and strong winds up to 75mph on Wednesday into Thursday.

The warning is in place from 6pm on Tuesday until 12noon on Wednesday and could see showers of hail, sleet and snow overnight.

A spokesperson said snow could leave a covering of 3-6cm on ground over 100m but also on lower levels.

Icy patches will form on untreated surfaces and lead to tricky driving conditions.

The chief forecaster added: “A cold westerly airstream will spread across the area on Tuesday evening, allowing frequent showers in the overnight period to fall as snow, especially over high ground.

“There is some uncertainty over how much snow will settle at low levels, and many places within the yellow area may miss the snow altogether. However, where snow does occur it is likely to be heavy and produce a covering quite quickly.

“Coastal areas facing west or southwest will probably miss most of the snow, but hail and lightning will be hazards here, along with gusty winds.

“This warning is likely to be updated on Tuesday.”

Local forecasts suggest snow is most likely to appear in the early hours of Wednesday morning, turning to sleet by about 9am. North Dorset is set to be the most affected, with snow forecast from midnight to 9am on Wednesday.

Light snow snow is predicted for Ferndown, Ringwood and Blandford, with sleet on the cards for Bournemouth and Christchurch. Corfe Castle is set for a midnight thunderstorm.

The Met Office says the heavy rain warning is in place for Bournemouth, Poole and across Dorset from 12noon on Wednesday until 9am on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “A deepening area of low pressure is expected to track across the north of the UK during Wednesday and into Thursday.

"A spell of heavy rainfall is expected across many parts of western and southern England and Wales in association with this system, lasting from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning, when clearer, colder weather is expected to spread southeast.

“The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to travel due to standing water and spray as well as localised flooding.”

The warning over strong winds is in place from 3pm on Wednesday until 3pm on Thursday.

A spokesperson said: “Another Atlantic low pressure system is expected to deepen significantly as it tracks towards the UK. The strongest winds will initially be across England and Wales during the second half of Wednesday into early Thursday.

"This may also lead to large waves on some coasts of Wales and southern England. A separate swathe of very strong winds will probably affect more northern parts of the UK including the Central Belt of Scotland during Thursday. “As well as the very strong winds, a band of squally rain is likely to sweep eastwards across many parts through the period.

“The exact track of this system is still open to some uncertainty, as is the location of the strongest winds and it is likely that this warning will be reviewed in the coming days to fine tune the areas at risk from the impacts.”

Local forecaster Jim Smith said: "At the moment there are early signs of pretty strong winds appearing on the models.

"The worst of the conditions are likely to be Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, where winds could gust up to 70mph around the coast, and the winds will stay pretty strong throughout Thursday. 

"It will be severe winter weather but I'm not expecting anything as severe as last year's storm on Valentine's Day. The wind will be blowing south-westerly off the sea, so will really affect the coastal regions."