The first snow of winter is falling in parts of Norfolk with more to come as a band of seasonal weather sweeps across the county.
Some areas in west Norfolk have seen a covering of snow two to three centimetres on Friday morning as forecasts of sleet not would not settle proved to underestimate the weather conditions.
Snow has also fallen across much of the west and south of the county with steady falls also in Norwich, though it has not settled in the city.
The snow may be briefly heavy in places, reducing visibility and leading to slippery surfaces, the Met Office has warned.
Norfolk Police tweeted: “We are seeing lots of road traffic collisions this morning on major roads and rural roads as the snow is falling. Please allow extra time and drive carefully.”
Sandra Squire, who represents Terrington on King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, was among those to post pictures of snowfalls arriving in west Norfolk, with a white blanket covering roads and her garden.
She said: “Haven’t done a school run like that for a while! Garden looks pretty though. Please be careful especially on the country lanes, it’s very slippery out there.”
At Necton Primary School the arrival of snow has excited the children. “There’s a steady chorus of, “it’s snowing!” working its way around school like a verbal Mexican wave!” the school tweeted.
Pupils at Howard Junior School in King's Lynn who were in the process of raising hundreds of pounds for the Alzheimer Society by having a festive Elf Day also made the most of the unexpected snow.
The Foxtrotters social running group, based at The Fox Inn in Garboldisham, between Diss and Thetford, tweeted: “First outing in snow a nice gentle 5K run. It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas!”
The snow falls are expected to continue into the afternoon.
Dan Holley, forecaster with Norwich-based Weatherquest, said: “An area of cloud with rain and snow will slowly move northwards across the region, turning heavy and to snow in west Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and west Norfolk.”
It is expected to turn drier in the afternoon with moderate to fresh west or southwesterly winds. Maximum temperatures will be 5C.
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