End to Norfolk’s big freeze

By Stephen Pullinger
Sunday, February 12, 2012
5:07 PM

The region is set to emerge from the big freeze tomorrow with temperatures rising to the almost forgotten heights of 10C (50F) by Tuesday.

Forecaster Jim Bacon, from the University of East Anglia-based WeatherQuest service, said the weather was set to be much milder throughout the rest of February.

He said: “The dominant area of high pressure is now to the south-west of us and we have said goodbye to the bitter winds coming from central Europe.

“The winds will now be coming from the north-west, bringing much milder air from the Atlantic.

“The downside is that because the air has more moisture it will be more cloudy and damp and misty at times.”

While the temperature is likely to climb only to 7C (45F) tomorrow it is likely to reach 7C to 10C for the rest of the week.

There could be a touch of ground frost tomorrow night, but there is no risk of further sharp frosts for the forseeable future.

The sting in the tail of the big freeze came this morning when freezing drizzle - super cooled water droplets landing on frozen ground and creating a sheet of ice - affected some roads in the region. A dusting a fresh snow fell in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

The East of England Ambulance Service received 54 calls to crashes across the region yesterday in the wake of the widespread sharp frost, with a dozen casualties needing to be taken to hospital for further treatment.

Essex and Cambridgeshire were the worst hit for crashes today with Norfolk and Suffolk largely escaping.

An ambulance service spokeswoman said: “Crews, volunteers, control room staff and managers have worked extremely hard in dealing with the spate of collisions.

“The cold snap appears to be easing but we would still urge drivers to take extreme care on the roads as ice continues to be an issue.”