Bitterly cold weather and plunging temperatures are set to hit Suffolk and Essex overnight – and people living on the eastern side of the region could wake up to a covering of snow this morning.

Five days of snowy disruption could cause problems for motorists – and lead to major issues for schools and transport networks – as an arctic blast dubbed the ‘Beast from the East’ sweeps in from Russia.

Chris Bell from the East Anglian based Weatherquest said the first snow flurries for the east were expected to be seen any time after midnight on Sunday as the ice cold weather system from Siberia hits the east coast.

He said: “It is difficult to predict how much snow will fall and where it will fall, but some places could get a dusting or up to 2-5 centimetres by the time people are getting ready to go to work on Monday.

“I don’t think it will be that disruptive in the morning – but there could be more towards the second half of the afternoon, just as people are setting off home from work. That could be a more tricky journey.”

https://twitter.com/danholley_/status/967747518762307585

The snow showers are expected to continue on Monday night, through Tuesday and into Wednesday. The weather will remain bitterly cold so any snow will accumulate and will not thaw.

“I think late on Wednesday and into Thursday there could be less snow – but it will not be any milder. It will be very cold and feel even colder than it is because of the bitter winds.”

Mr Bell also warned there could be a second heavy snowfall at the end of the week: “It looks as if a low pressure area from the south west could move in on Thursday night into Friday and that could bring us quite a lot of snow across the region.”

But there is a chance this low pressure could introduce milder weather – leading to the start of a thaw next weekend. However, by then there could be a lot of snow on the ground – and slush could develop into a real problem.

East Anglian Daily Times: A yellow weather warning for snow covers much of the Eastern region. Picture: MET OFFICEA yellow weather warning for snow covers much of the Eastern region. Picture: MET OFFICE (Image: Archant)

The national Met Office has issued an Amber alert for parts of east Essex for Tuesday for snow – alongside Yellow alerts for the whole region for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday warning of the likelihood of disruption caused by snow.

The whole of East Anglia – and indeed the entire British Isles – seem destined to have its first real taste of a harsh winter for nearly a decade over the next week.

Mr Bell’s colleague Dan Holley tweeted a map showing where the most serious snowfalls were likely to hit over the next few days.

Gritters ready to take to Suffolk’s roads if snow is as heavy as forecast

Suffolk’s road gritters are ready to tackle any snow brought to the region by the “Beast from the East” this week after officials have spent much of the last few days preparing for the expected bad weather.

A total of 37 Suffolk County Council gritting lorries are ready to take to the roads. These include nine that will be clearing streets in Ipswich – the expected snowfall this week is set to be the first serious snow to hit the area since the county took over the maintenance of the town’s roads from the borough council back in 2013.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said the authority’s roads depots had recently taken fresh deliveries of grit and sand so there should be no danger of supplies running low.

She said over recent nights the gritters had not been out because although temperatures had been very low, it was very