DORSET remains on course to be hit with strong wind and heavy rain amid weather warnings from the Met Office.

The county has been enjoying a bitterly cold, dry sunny spell recently, but the public is being warned that the weather is set to change to heavy rain over the next few days.

Tomorrow is set to bring heavy rain all day lasting from 6am until 3pm - with and gusts of wind set to reach up to 53mph by Thursday morning.

Light rain spells will continue into Thursday and Friday with heavy rain set to return by 9pm on Friday evening.

Strong winds are expected throughout Thursday and Friday with a risk of gales - perhaps severe near coasts, according to the Met Office.

Met Office forecasters have said the last chance to enjoy the sunshine is likely to be today, when cloud will thicken during the evening as a band of heavy rain and strong winds moves in from the west overnight.

The Met Office are still imposing a yellow weather warning for the whole of the south west from 9pm Wednesday until 3pm Thursday.

Weather warning - what to expect:

Strong winds accompanied by heavy and blustery showers may bring some disruption to England and Wales.

  • Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely;
  • Some short term loss of power and other services is possible;
  • Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely;
  • Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer.

Today's weather is predicted to be sunny until around 2pm, where gusts of wind will increase from 20mph to 30mph by midnight. Maximum temperatures are due to reach around 9 °C.

Tonight is likely to feel "mild" with minimum temperatures of 4 °C.