WINTRY weather is well on the way and forecasters have warned people across Suffolk and north Essex to wrap up warm.

The start of a snowy spell will begin this evening and last for much of the night, with up to 5cm expected to fall in parts of the region.

Jim Bacon, of Norwich-based forecasters Weatherquest, said the inclement conditions were down to cold winds coming in from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

He said: “Tonight we will have some snow which will affect more eastern parts of the county. This will be full-on proper snowy stuff and the main period at risk will be the early hours of tomorrow morning - that will be a problem as it will slow things down on the road.

“There will be a small number of centimetres - three or four, or perhaps even five.”

Mr Bacon said the wintry weather was not unusual for this time of year.

He added: “If you look at the statistics it’s more likely to snow at Easter than at Christmas, especially when you have an early Easter like this year.

“One of the problems we are having this year is the cold North Sea. The temperature is below normal and we are having some winds coming in from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia which are not warming up as they come in off the sea.

“We’ll be having some much colder nights next week - they could be quite chilly and with frosts in the morning.”