Umbrellas, wet weather gear and warm clothing will be the order of the day across Suffolk and Essex today as the miserable weather continued.

And there’s no sign of a let up into next week which is a remarkable contrast to the warmth and sunshine of seven days ago.

The damp, drizzly weather is set to continue through to Wednesday and it’s not until Thursday that bright sunshine is due to replace the rain and chilly conditions.

And central heating systems have been turned back on to counter the seasonally colder spell.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain across the region – with the possibility of snow falling on high ground.

From tomorrow evening until Monday night conditions are likely to be very damp, with up to 70mm of rain expected in some places – and strong gale force winds battering the area.

As the rain falls thick and fast, there will be an increasing risk of flooding – making homes and businesses vulnerable.

Driving conditions are also likely to be difficult, with spray from the roads obscuring motorists’ vision.

Where flooding is at its worst, there is a possibility that roads will be closed. In severe cases, public transport services may also be cancelled or delayed.

Phil Garner, a forecaster for Weatherquest, said while he thought the prospect of snowfall was unlikely, heavy rain could certainly prove troublesome.

He said: “There is a risk of localised flooding. This is awful lot of rain to come in a short period. We could be looking at gusts of 55 to 60mph on the coast and 45 to 50mph inland.

“With the intensity of the rain there is a chance of strong cross winds.”

Temperatures will remain below average for this time of year as the bleak weather brings with it a wintry chill.

Yesterday the mercury reached just 11C, while today temperatures will struggle to climb past 9C.

Monday will also be “rather poor”, Mr Garner added, as the region can expect highs of just 6 or 7C.

The Met Office yellow warning is in place between 8pm tonight and midnight on Monday.

The bleak conditions follow a bout of unseasonably warm weather that swept across the region last week, with temperatures peaking at 27C on Thursday, April 19 – the hottest April day for nearly 70 years.