PEOPLE are being urged to remain vigilant of flooding over the weekend after forecasters predicted two inches of snow for the region tonight followed by a rise in temperature.
A warning for 2-5cm of snow is in force, while around 6-8mm of rain is predicted for Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
With temperatures rising on Saturday and rainfall predicted, there are fears the snow will quickly thaw, leading to flooding in the area.
Forecaster Chris Bell from Norwich-based Weatherquest added: “Flooding could be an issue because of snow already on the ground and rain forecast on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
“But with around 6cm of snow still on the ground, combine that with more snow on Friday and rainfall on Saturday night through to Sunday, that is enough to give localised flooding.”
The snow is expected to move through the region this afternoon and into the early hours of tomorrow morning, following a day of freezing temperatures.
Sarah Holland, forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The band of snow will move into the eastern parts of Suffolk through Friday afternoon and into the evening, moving north through the night.
“It will gradually clear Friday evening going into Saturday morning, which will probably be cloudy with a low mist in most places.
“The temperature will struggle to get above freezing, even by 10am Saturday morning – although with light winds it will feel colder than that.
“There will be a risk of disruption to travel and we urge people to take care and keep up-to-date with forecasts over the next 48 hours.”
Although the rainfall forecast is not expected to be heavy over the weekend, the snow could combine with the rain to create flooding problems as it melts.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “In terms of flooding, it takes approximately 10mm of fresh snow to have the same effect as 1mm of rain.
“However, much of the ground is saturated from previous rainfall and we remain vigilant against the threat of floods.”
The Environment Agency urges people to call Floodline for updates on 0845 988 1188 and check their website www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
Police have warned people to drive only when necessary.
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