More rain and wind on way to Suffolk

DO NOT be fooled by Sunday's fine January weather in Suffolk - we have not seen the end of this winter's wind and rain.

Weather forecasters are warning the county to batten down the hatches again tomorrow night as another storm is set to hit southern Britain, bringing with it high winds and heavy rain.

Flood warnings have again been posted for the west of the region but because the wind is due to come from the south west, coastal flooding should not be a problem.

Elsewhere in the country the heavy rain over the last few weeks has caused serious flooding problems.

The centre of the historic city of York was under water as the River Ouse burst its banks. It is not uncommon in the city but does cause problems for businesses and residents.

So far this winter has seen rainfall 40per cent above the long-term average across England which is good news for water companies which have seen their reservoirs refill and underground aquifers start to recover after two winters of below-average rainfall.

At present there is no clear indication of a change to the winter weather.

Forecasters expect next week to be slightly colder and dryer but no forecasters are yet predicting that snow is on its way.

However, the Government's Meteorological Office does warn that we could be in for a cold snap during the second half of the winter - from mid February onwards - as the northern hemisphere starts to feel the effect of the El Nino weather pattern in the south Pacific.

This could change weather patterns across northern Europe for a few weeks, bringing Britain a cold blast from Scandinavia.

However, forecasters say it is far too early to say if or when that phenomenon could have an impact on our weather.

N Has your life been affected by the weather? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Weblink:

www.metoffice.gov.uk

So far this winter, temperatures in England have been 1.3C above the average