An icy blast of snow and frost gripped parts of Suffolk and north Essex today – with temperatures due to plunge to -4C tonight.
Light snow showers transformed Framlingham Castle and Christchurch Park into winter wonderlands this morning, much to the delight of budding photographers, dog walkers and young children.
Central and eastern parts of Suffolk saw the most significant snowfall, with forecasters revealing the heaviest fell in a zone from Diss through to Stowmarket and Framlingham.
A small dusting of the white stuff also left a light coating in the north Essex towns of Dovercourt, nearby Harwich and Colchester.
Weather photographer Carl Harlott captured a striking shot of snow falling on the A14 with the Orwell Bridge in the background.
Captioning an assortment of snowy snaps on Twitter, he said: “What a treat to wake up to some snow finally. Still snowing in Ipswich, looking gorgeous.”
Unfortunately for snow lovers like Mr Harlott, experts are predicting that a sharp frost overnight will quickly turn into a bright, dry day across the region.
Phil Garner, from Weatherquest, said: “I don’t think we are going to see any more snow on the way, there may be a few wintry showers in northern parts of Suffolk but they will be drifting away fairly soon.
“It will be quite cold overnight with a widespread frost driving temperatures down to -4C.
“Thursday morning will be icy because of that dip but most places will have a bright start to the day. As we head into the afternoon it’s likely to be fairly cloudy, there is rain moving in from the west but this will be quite patchy.
“There will be highs of around 6C to 7C compared with the high 4C on Wednesday.”
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said yesterday that the cold weather could last into March.
He said: “Really much of February and perhaps even into March it is going to stay on the cold side, so temperatures generally below average, with further frosts and also the risk of rain, sleet and snow as well.”
Mr Garner added that sunny spells will make tomorrow morning brighter than usual.
Rain is due to clear in the east on Friday morning before turning breezy with a few showers.
Saturday will start dry and frosty, with strong winds and rain spreading east in the afternoon.
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