THE new year has already started with mild weather, a thunderstorm warning and a flood alert.

New Year’s Day saw temperatures reach an unseasonably warm 14C with swimmers even taking a dip in the sea at Boscombe to mark the start of 2022.

Then on Sunday, the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms and “intense rain” for Dorset.

Meanwhile, a flooding alert was put out for Christchurch Harbour with the Environment Agency closing the flood gates.

So, what does this week have in store for us? Here’s a look at what is in the forecast according to the Met Office.

If the situation changes and any further weather or flood alerts are issued, we will keep you updated.

Monday, January 3: 11C, cloudy throughout the day but no rain in the forecast.

Tuesday, January 4: 7C, light rain around 6am with sunny intervals for the remainder of the day.

Wednesday, January 5: 7C, clear with long spells of sunshine.

Thursday, January 6: 10C, cloudy start but changing to heavy rain around lunchtime. This will turn lighter into early evening.

Friday, January 7: 7C, cloud first thing with things turning much sunnier by lunchtime and into the afternoon.

Saturday, January 8: 10C, cloudy changing to light rain by lunchtime, this is not currently expected to last long.