DORSET has again been battered by storm force winds and lashing rain in the latest in a series of extreme weather patterns.

This year the south coast has seen sizzling temperatures in the spring, a soggy summer, a sweltering start to September and ferocious winds in the autumn.

And, as if the weather wasn't confusing enough, a Bournemouth meteorologist has now revealed that heavy snowfall in Britain is on the increase.

Torrential rain and winds up to 70mph led to hazardous driving conditions and damage to property yesterday afternoon and overnight.

An intense depression hit the coast after making its way up from the Bay of Biscay and sitting between the South West and Ireland. It struck at the same time as high tide and with the low air pressure this lead to fears of flooding.

And wind and rain are set to be be a problem today and tomorrow until the weather calms down a little for the weekend.

Coastguards issued warnings to sightseers and to anyone tempted to play "chicken" with huge waves battering the coastline.

"It looks like fun to play chicken but it is not safe," said a coastguard spokesman. "There have been instances where people have been swept into the sea while watching the waves."

The latest round of bad weather had already arrived by mid-morning yesterday. Only seagulls and a handful of soggy walkers braved the driving rain at Mudeford Quay.

With the Mudeford Race running fast with dirty khaki-coloured water and a gusty south-easterly gale blowing in at 30 to 35 knots the normally busy Quay was no place to be.

Weather expert Richard Wild, of Bournemouth-based WeatherNet Ltd, hit the headlines this week after revealing the results of his detailed study into heavy snowfall.

He said instances of heavy snowfall are on the increase, despite public perception that they are falling.

However, the total number of snowfall days is declining, particularly in populated areas of England and most of the heavy falls are confined to Scotland.

"The perception is that we are not getting the snow we used to but in reality snow is falling - but it is falling in unpopulated areas of the country," he told the Daily Echo.

"If we have heavy snow in London we know about it but if it occurs in the Highlands it affects less people and is therefore not as widely publicised."

First published: October 28