People are being warned to take care on the roads as a cold blast of ice, hail, sleet and snow heads for East Anglia.
It’s set to be a chilly few days in the region, with temperatures expected to plummet to below freezing as cold winds sweep in from the northwest.
Forecasters at Norwich-based Weatherquest say scattered wintry showers – bringing a mix of rain, hail, sleet and snow – will arrive in East Anglia tomorrow.
Meanwhile the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice for the east of England, with wintry showers most likely in eastern parts such as Lowestoft and Southwold.
The warning is in force between 10pm tonight and 11am on Thursday.
The first signs of sleet are set to arrive on Thursday morning as temperatures plummet almost to freezing point – with the mercury expected to drop to between 1C and 2C.
Forecaster Adam Dury said the first showers would be followed by a blast of cold air at between 7am and 8am, when it is possible ice will form on the roads and pavements.
“There will be colder air coming in from the northwest,” he said.
“The showers will turn wintry around 7am or 8am in the morning.
“It’ll drop that bit colder behind the showers.”
This will be followed by a few hours of sunshine and clear skies before wintry showers are expected to return in the east at around 2pm.
While things will remain dry overnight on Thursday, temperatures are expected to plummet into Friday morning – with the mercury hitting -3C in the coldest parts of the region.
Despite the lack of showers, things will certainly feel wintry – as Mr Dury predicted East Anglia will wake up to widespread frost.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Council has announced the gritters will be out on Wednesday night to keep the highways clear.
Over the border, Essex Highways say that their gritters will also be on the roads – but will be limited to northern and western parts of the county.
Heading into the weekend, forecasters are predicting that conditions will stay cold with temperatures set to reach highs or no more than 4 or 5C.
Saturday is also set to be dry and cloudy, with Sunday looking to be brighter but with a chance of rain and sleet later on.
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