Daniel Bell-Drummond hit an elegant 70 as Kent reached 113 for 3 on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship clash with Surrey at Canterbury.
After the rain had washed out all but 11 balls of Kent's first two sessions, he and Jack Leaning added exactly 100 for third wicket.
Dan Worrall took 2 for 33 to reduce Kent to 8 for 2 in the sixth over, but Surrey went 30 overs without loss before Tom Lawes ended the partnership by trapping Bell-Drummond lbw in the closing overs.
Kent and England legend Derek Underwood, who died on Monday aged 78, was remembered before the start of play with both sets of players standing in front of the Underwood & Knott stand for a minute's silence. Black armbands were worn and a moment was also taken to remember Surrey's Raman Subba Row, who died on Wednesday aged 92.
It was a bitterly cold day for the St Lawrence faithful and the weather washed out 57 overs before conditions improved, or at least became less damp, in the late afternoon.
The visitors, who were without Jamie Overton due to a back injury, won the toss and elected to bowl, but the start had already been delayed to 1.25pm and they managed just 11 deliveries before being forced off again due to poor light, with the wind too strong to use the floodlights.
When play finally resumed at 4.15pm, Surrey struck early. Zak Crawley, making his first Kent appearance of the season, got to 5 before Worrall had him caught by Jamie Smith at third slip. He then had Ben Compton trapped lbw for three in his next over.
The partnership Kent desperately needed came when Leaning joined Bell-Drummond to steer the home side into calmer waters.
Bell-Drummond, who has two centuries this season, smashed Worrall through cover for four to bring up his 50, but he fell in the third-last over of the day when he was trapped leg before by Lawes. Nightwatchman George Garrett remained unbeaten on one at stumps.