SUFFOLK is bracing itself for more snow tonight as forecasters warn of treacherous conditions on the county's roads - following the heaviest snowfall in 18 years.
Lizzie Parry
By Lizzie Parry>
SUFFOLK is bracing itself for more snow tonight as forecasters warn of treacherous conditions on the county's roads - following the heaviest snowfall in 18 years.
Plummeting temperatures and another heavy downfall expected late tonight will add a fresh covering of snow across the county.
Suffolk was transformed into a winter wonderland yesterday as a rare weather phenomenon known as thunder snow caused intense blizzards on Thursday night.
Up to five inches settled in areas, five times the amount that coated the county during the wintry spell in February when an inch fell over a three day period.
And the last time Suffolk saw snowy scenes such as these was back on February, 9 1991.
The latest weather forecast is predicting another heavy blizzard tonight with temperatures falling as low as -5C adding an extra two to five cm of snow.
Forecaster John Law at Weatherquest said: “Both Saturday and Sunday will remain very, very cold. They are looking like dry days but there is always the chance of isolated snow showers.
“Temperatures will struggle to get above freezing especially where there is already snow covering. “Overnight on Saturday there will be a fresh covering of snow across the county.”
He warned motorists to take extreme care overnight and into tomorrow morning as melting snow freezes on the county's roads.
“We are really going to find any heavy snow lingering as the temperatures stay very cold today and drop further tonight,” Mr Law added. “Any melting snow will quickly refreeze causing icy conditions.”
The thunder and lightning storms witnessed over Ipswich and parts of Suffolk on Thursday evening is, according to weather experts, a well known but rarely seen spectacle.
Warmer temperatures, reaching 10C, over the North Sea caused the stormy clouds to form dumping up to 12cm of snow in parts of the county, including Wattisham.
Mr Law said: “It is called thunder snow and is very strange to see, a rare but well known weather phenomenon.”
Did you witness the thunder snow storms? Send your photos to suffolkpicturedesk@archant.co.uk or call the Newsdesk on 01473 324732.
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