Wintery showers and possibly even some snow could kick off 2026
New Year’s Eve is nearly here and many of us are sure to have exciting plans with friends and family to ring in 2026.
As such, we will all be keeping a close eye on the forecast over the coming days to make sure no sudden changes in weather put a damper on the celebrations.
The Met Office has now issued its latest predictions for the final days of 2025 and the start of January, with temperatures expected to drop to freezing levels throughout much of the coming week.
Today (December 29) will be generally dry if grey to begin with, followed by sunnier spells in the afternoon as temperatures hit 8C at their highest.
When the evening arrives, some light showers could develop, particularly towards the coast. It is overnight that the temperature will first take a considerable drop, hitting -1C at its coldest in parts of the south east.
Tuesday then will be dry and sunny throughout the daytime, though once more the odd shower may develop along the coast. Afternoon temperatures will peak at 7C before turning very cold again overnight, making for a frosty start to New Year’s Eve.
Wednesday looks to keep dry for the most part but will be very brisk as temperatures only hit as high as 4C during the afternoon, sinking down to 0C in areas such as Tunbridge Wells, Ashford and Sevenoaks by 6pm.
The dry weather will continue overnight as we count down to the New Year, though be sure to wrap up warm if you head out as lows of -1C are expected for many parts of Kent from midnight onwards.
On New Year’s Day showers are possible, which may turn wintery as a result of the freezing temperatures. While conditions will turn drier on Friday, it will be another very cold day, with daytime highs of a mere 3C across Kent.
Over the weekend the chilly weather will continue, bringing about the possibility of further wintery showers and there is even a chance for some snow flurries on the horizon.
The Met Office long range forecast for Friday, January 2 to Sunday, January 11 describes: “Cold northerly winds, initially across Scotland are now expected to become dominant across the whole UK in the first week of January.
“These will bring wintry showers (often of snow) to many coastlines (and areas just inland of these) that are exposed to onshore winds. Subtle day-to-day changes in wind direction from northeast to northwest will change the places most exposed to the showers, but many inland locations across central and southern areas will remain mostly dry but cold.
“There are likely to be some more coherent bands of rain, sleet and snow working south, and these may bring a risk of more prolonged wintry precipitation affecting some inland areas. Towards the second half of this period, slightly milder conditions will attempt to move in from the west.”
Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE.
