SUMMER'S reign in Suffolk has come to an end with a splash – and thoughts are now turning to preparing for the long winter ahead. Thousands of families in the county were without power as the first day of autumn loomed, after high winds and heavy rain battered the region.

SUMMER'S reign in Suffolk has come to an end with a splash – and thoughts are now turning to preparing for the long winter ahead.

Thousands of families in the county were without power as the first day of autumn loomed, after high winds and heavy rain battered the region.

Yesterday 15 high-voltage faults were reported, affecting 5,000 homes.

The storm brought memories of last year's black-out flooding back, but families are hoping electricity supplier EDF Energy is better prepared this year.

The weather has certainly put a dampener on hopes of a prolonged Indian summer, signalling a rapid end to one of the most sizzling hot-spells on record.

August 10 saw Suffolk's hottest ever day recorded in Ipswich, when temperatures reached 35C (95F).

But yesterday saw the most rain recorded since December 22 last year, with 0.76 inches falling. Most of the downpour was within the space of 40 minutes in a dramatic turnaround.

Evening Star weatherman Ken Blowers said: "The rain has been caused by a cold front coming across East Anglia from the north west.

"We're now going to have a touch of autumn, and instead of temperatures being what they have been, they are going to go right down. It will be dry until Thursday but then we will have some more rain."

He added autumn officially began at 11.47am today when the sun crossed the Equator.

Just yesterday Bramford was a picture of summer as rays of sunshine beating down on the pretty village, but this was soon washed away.

Flash flooding hit the county's road, making some almost impassable for motorists as menacing clouds gathered overhead.

FASTfacts

This summer has been the hottest in Suffolk since 1976.

In 1976, Lowestoft and Felixstowe were among the resorts enjoying record hours of sunshine and the sea temperatures were among the highest ever recorded.

1911 is the still seen as one of the hottest summers on record, when 1,942 hours of sun were recorded in Ipswich.

Suffolk's driest year was in 1921 when only 11.21 inches of rain fell.

1947 and 1963 are regarded as the coldest years on record.

Source: Ken Blowers and The Norfolk and Suffolk Weather Book.