The band of snow expected to arrive from the southwest duly did so but has produced more snow further east than we were expecting. The band continues to affect parts of east Berks, Bucks, Surrey, East Sussex and Kent but it is still expected to continue northwards and eastwards during the rest of the morning and afternoon, petering out is it does so, Nevertheless we need to allow for an additional centimetre or two in those counties where the snow is still falling. You can get an idea of the progress of the snow from the radar images at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/. In areas where the main band has cleared we could still see a few sleet or snow showers but these should not add much more in the way of accumulations.
Tonight should be mostly dry although a few coastal showers are possible (these more likely to be of rain or sleet). Some mist and fog patches will form and widespread ice is likely, especially in those areas which have seen the more significant snowfall.
Thursday looks set to be a mostly dry but cloudy day with some mist and fog lingering. Temperatures should creep just above freezing during the day but ice is likely to be a problem again overnight.
Friday too looks set to be dry albeit with a misty start. A south to southwest wind will gradually freshen later in the day. A slow thaw should occur by day but there remains a risk of ice overnight, especially early in the night. In the early hours of Saturday morning some strong southerly winds will accompany a band of precipitation which will move in from the west. This is most likely to be of rain for most of us but in the heavier bursts there could be some sleet and snow over the hills. Because of the finely balanced temperatures, there is some uncertainty as to how much (if any) snow there will be so this will be closely monitored over the next couple of days. Note that any rain will aid clearance of lying snow. On Saturday night, once the rain clears (it should clear Kent in the very early hours of Sunday on current timings), then ice and fog may be risks for the overnight period as cloud clears and winds ease.
Looking further ahead into next week it looks likely to be mostly dry but with persisting fog and ice risks overnight. A slow thaw of remaining lying snow is expected continue.
(Received from the Met office at 11:27)
