Temperatures set to drop below zero in Kent, with towns reaching -2C and snow possible in south east

Hedi Mehrez
·2-min read
Snow covers the ground at the entrance to Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire.
-Credit: (Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)


Temperatures are set to drop below zero in parts of Kent, with places reaching -2C. Forecasters announced a cold and unsettled week across the UK, with snow and ice causing disruption for some.

This is due to an arctic maritime air mass already over norther Britain that is set to spread southwards into the rest of the UK on Tuesday (November 19). Dartford will see its temperatures dropping to -1C on Thursday (November 21).

'Feels like' temperatures will be as low as -4C. Similar temperatures can be expected in Canterbury, with 'feels like' temperatures of -5C on Thursday between 3am and 6am.

READ MORE: Kent Christmas lights switch-ons 2024 including snow machines and spectacular celebrity performances

READ MORE: Warning over using hot water bottle in bed as UK faces 15 hours of snow and ice

People can expect freezing cold near the cost with Margate seeing its temperatures gradually dropping from Tuesday onwards. It will go from 10C on Tuesday to 0C on Thursday.

It will drop to -2C in Tunbridge Wells at around 3am on Thursday. Residents can expect 'feels like' temperatures of -6C.

The Met Office has also said that snow is possible in the South East on Tuesday, but there is no indication that this will hit Kent yet. However, weather warnings for snow have been issued for other parts of the country.

Dan Suri is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office and said: “An area of low pressure slides its way eastwards on Monday night. The associated frontal system, marking the boundary between cold air in the north and milder conditions to the south, will bring disruptive snow to some areas between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

“This is likely to coincide with rush hour, leading to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning. It will also be windy in the far south.

“Updates to the warnings throughout the week are likely, so it is important to stay up to date with the latest forecast”

London & South East England weather forecast

Tuesday

Windy with wintry flurries at first, but gradually brightening from the north during the morning. Sunshine developing widely into the afternoon, but feeling much colder than of late generally. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday

Bright with brisk winds and some wintry showers in this period, perhaps interrupted by a more extensive and prolonged wintry spell Thursday, although this aspect low confidence. Sharp overnight frosts.

Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE.

Latest stories

  • Weather maps show where UK will be coldest this week amid -8C forecast

    Colder conditions are set to feature in the first week of December following a mild spell for the UK, the Met Office said.

  • These lights are being installed around a Welsh city - there's a problem if you see them flashing red or purple

    It is the first city in the UK to have the lights installed

  • ‘It just keeps coming and coming’: Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 5 feet over parts of Great Lakes region

    Post-Thanksgiving travel will be treacherous in parts of the Great Lakes region on Monday with more lake-effect snow falling after the region was already buried under feet of it, while cold temperatures remain across a large swath of the United States.

  • Met Office map shows blast of Arctic air sweeping over UK as temperatures to plummet to -7C after mild weekend

    The cold snap might not last long

  • Rhodes: British holidaymakers issued with torrential rain warning amid deadly Storm Bora flooding

    Holidaymakers are being warned of flooded properties and streets and possible power cuts as Storm Bora hits

  • UK weather: Snow forecast as Britain faces chilly week with Met Office predicting -7C frost

    Temperatures to plunge after mild weekend weather with snow forecast for Scotland and northern England

  • Storm Bora floods homes, streets in Greek island of Rhodes

    Torrential rains flooded homes, businesses and roads in the popular Greek tourist island of Rhodes on Sunday, forcing authorities to temporarily ban the use of vehicles as Storm Bora pounded the country for a second day. On Saturday, a man died in flash floods which hit another Greek island in the northern Aegean. The fire service received more than 650 calls to pump water out of flooded buildings on Rhodes island and evacuated 80 people to safer ground, with the city of Ialysos hit the hardest.

  • Cost of switching off UK wind farms soars to ‘absurd’ £1bn

    British bill payers have spent an “absurd” £1bn to temporarily switch off wind turbines so far this year as the grid struggles to cope with their power.

  • UK weather: Temperatures forecast as low as -10C

    Forecasters are predicting a widespread frost across the UK, with the potential for -10C (14F) in some places. Most areas will turn dry on Monday evening and, as skies clear, temperatures are set to plummet overnight. "Rural areas, mainly in Scotland, could dip as low as -10C (14F), while -6C (21F) is possible in parts of Northern Ireland and north Wales," said Sky News weather producer Chris England.

  • Snow to hit parts of Scotland as temperatures drop below freezing

    Temperatures in parts of Scotland could hit as low as -8 degrees celcius as the colder winter weather hits the country.

  • Can the Panama Canal reinvent itself before the next drought?

    STORY: :: Tres Hermanas, Panama This unpaved road crosses the rural and self-sustaining Tres Hermanas community in Panama. But these lush valleys, home to dozens of towns, will be submerged if the Panama Canal Authority moves ahead with a plan to build a massive reservoir on the Indio River. :: Rodolfo Hernandez, Tres Hermanas resident “All that you see here, the green trees seen throughout this area, everything would be lost.” Rodolfo Hernandez is a local resident. “…The Indio River community has not yet said yes to them.” The proposal to dam the river over the next six years pits the future of thousands of people against the water needs of the powerful Canal Authority. Some don’t want to leave. Others are focused on getting fair compensation if they are forced to move. And public opposition could derail the entire project. :: Lake Alajuela, PanamaBut with more extreme weather seen over the last decade set to continue, the $1.6 billion dollar proposal seems as necessary as it seems extreme. :: Record-setting droughtTres Hermanas sits here. The state-owned Canal Authority aims to create a vast dam on the Rio Indio to secure extra freshwater. The 50-mile-long artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans relies on freshwater to operate its locks and, the Authority says, provide drinking water. Ricaurte Vazquez is the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority. :: Ricaurte Vazquez, Administrator, Panama Canal Authority “…And that imposes a relative disadvantage in relation to all other maritime navigation systems in the world." :: Panama Canal AuthorityWhy? Because last year was the third driest year in the canal’s 110-year history. :: Lake Gatun, PanamaAnd meteorologists forecast more severe droughts and faster water evaporation amid hotter temperatures. The waterway is Panama’s main source of hard-currency revenue and accounts for 3.1% of the country’s GDP. It is critical to U.S. imports of vehicle and commercial goods from Asia, and for U.S. exports of commodities, including liquefied natural gas. The latest drought forced vessel traffic to be restricted. But the new plan would allow up to 15 extra canal transits a day during the dry season. The Authority believes the Rio Indio reservoir project is the most complete solution to more frequent droughts. VAZQUEZ: "We understand that this is the most important challenge to maintain the canal's sustainability in the long term in the face of demand, due to Panama's population growth, which will require fresh drinking water for its consumption and that leads us to the national conversation of how to tackle this problem." :: Approvals and relocation The project must still pass a long approval process, including a public consultation. But some infrastructure work, including a bridge, is already visible. The Ministry of Public Works has said the bridge is for cars and people to cross the river. Ilya Espino de Marotta is the canal’s deputy administrator. :: Ilya Espino de Marotta, Deputy Administrator, Panama Canal Authority "Of course, the most complicated part is the process of resettling people. These are conversations that need to be held individually with each family...” To contain the Rio Indio, some 2,260 people would have to be relocated, according to an initial survey by the Canal Authority. 2,000 more would be at least partially impacted. A more accurate census should be completed in January. The project has set aside $400 million, mainly for relocations. But opinions are divided. Some would be willing to sell their land, while others want to fight the project. Dilubino Agraje Dominguez represents the Rio Indio communities through the activist group Countrymen Coordinator for Life. :: Dilubino Agraje Dominguez, Representative, Rio Indio communities"The countryside, nature, their peace for life, for work is what makes them happy. You can show them beautiful, modern things, all well-arranged, but it is not the same for the resident who is used to living under his thatched roof, taking his time to go to the mountain and resting at home whichever day he wants…” The shipping industry is apprehensive.:: November 8, 2023The country’s Supreme Court recently suspended a controversial mining contract with Canada's First Quantum Minerals, after broad public opposition. And instrumental in blocking the contract was Countrymen Coordinator for Life. :: Another option There is an alternative: to transfer water from an existing reservoir fed by the Bayano River. This plan could be finished sooner, without relocations, and is gaining traction among local communities. “There is a real importance to maintain healthy rivers...” Professor LeRoy Poff is an expert on aquatic ecology from the University of Colorado. “I think from an environmental damage point of view that this dam has many negative impacts and very few positive benefits that couldn't be acquired through this alternative project.” :: Panama Canal AuthorityBut the Canal Authority discarded the Bayano option 8 years ago over higher costs and its location. And lawyers say it could mean complicated negotiations with the hydroelectric power providers involved. Faced with a changing climate, Deputy Administrator Espino thinks both projects will be needed in the long run. Ahead of the next drought, the Canal wants shippers to consolidate cargoes and could deploy water recycling measures, if needed.For residents of Tres Hermanas, resource-intense expansion must have a limit. HERNANDEZ: "We are not against the progress of our country, our country must progress, but it must be according to what is necessary and not harming its people."

  • Nearly two million people remain under lake-effect snow warnings

    Nearly two million people remain under lake-effect snow warnings through early Monday. CNN’s Polo Sandoval reports.

  • Bear snared after three day supermarket standoff with Japan police

    Authorities in Akita prefecture had struggled to locate the animal, which attacked a man and has eaten large quantities of meat

  • Bear chases moose family into pond

    This is the moment a bear chased a small herd of three moose into a pond in Yukon, Canada on July 17. One of the moose turned around and challenged the bear, causing it to give up on its pursuit.

  • At least 13 people dead as Thailand and Malaysia face worst floods in decades

    Hundreds of thousands of people displaced due to floods in Southeast Asia

  • At least two people killed in Greece as Storm Bora sparks warnings

    Greece's civil protection service says they have issued an emergency alert, warning of torrential rains and strong winds in the northeast, the centre, and the region around Athens.View on euronews

  • An End Is Finally in Sight for the Arctic Chill in New York and the US East

    (Bloomberg) -- A frigid blast that triggered a massive lake-effect snow storm across the US Great Lakes and blanketed New York City with sub-freezing temperatures will finally start to lose its grip on the region by this weekend. Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionTemperatures are forecast to rise closer to normal for this time of year, but with the end of the freezing readings there

  • 50ft sinkhole in Welsh town ‘getting bigger and bigger’

    A 50-ft sinkhole that has led to the evacuation of residents in a Welsh town is getting “bigger and bigger”, a council leader has said.

  • Cheaper loans on table to urge UK motorists to EVs, plus cuts in fines for firms

    Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds says there is ‘no route to net zero’ that ignores concerns of businesses after wave of closures

  • Nephew spent hundreds of pounds to fix aunt's grave damaged by flooding

    Newport man had to pay hundreds of pounds to have his aunt's grave in St Woolos Cemetery reset after flood damage.