Families were out enjoying the county’s parks as Norfolk and Suffolk was slowly covered in snow.

North Norfolk News: Dale and Rex Thompson from Norwich enjoying the snow.Dale and Rex Thompson from Norwich enjoying the snow. (Image: Archant)

The east coast of the region was the first to be hit by strong winds and snow, with Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth seeing an early flurry.

It soon found its way to Norwich, and by 9am a dusting had settled on the city.

Those in the west stayed relatively flake-free by midday - but may not have long to wait, forecasters predict.

Weatherquest forecaster Chris Bell said about 2-3cm of snow may have settled in parts of Norfolk by the end of today - and up to 5cm of snow during the day tomorrow.

North Norfolk News: A snow-covered Wensum Park, Norwich.A snow-covered Wensum Park, Norwich. (Image: Archant)

“For south-eastern Norfolk, we’re starting to see enough snow to give a little dusting on the grass,” said Mr Bell.

“Further south there’s been some pretty good accumulations of snow - towards Ipswich and eastern Essex there’s already been up to 8cm on the ground.”

North Norfolk News: A snow-covered Wensum Park, Norwich.A snow-covered Wensum Park, Norwich. (Image: Archant)

“For Norfolk, we’ll continue to see light snow across the south and east of the county over the next few hours. Then it will start to spread north and west into the rest of Norfolk late today and through this evening.

North Norfolk News: Families were out enjoying the snow on Sunday morningFamilies were out enjoying the snow on Sunday morning (Image: Archant)

“There is a chance we could see a bit of covering just about everywhere except for possibly the most western parts of Norfolk, by the time we get to Monday morning.”

North Norfolk News: A snow-covered Norwich on Sunday morning.A snow-covered Norwich on Sunday morning. (Image: Archant)

Mr Bell said snow showers coming in off the North Sea would “probably linger all the way into Tuesday or Wednesday”, though it would continue to be concentrated in the county’s southeast.

Winds across Norfolk will also remain powerful.

Mr Bell said: “We’ve got a wind-gust speed at Norwich airport of 46mph, and 51mph on the coast at Weybourne.

“I suspect we’ll continue to see wind-gusts of 40-50mph right along the coast, through the course of the afternoon.

“There have been some quite large waves as well - quite dangerous conditions on the beaches themselves.”

North Norfolk News: The MET Office's amber alert area now covers a much wider part of the county than it had been when the day began.The MET Office's amber alert area now covers a much wider part of the county than it had been when the day began. (Image: MET Office)

Since the early hours of this morning, the MET Office's 'amber alert' weather warning area has expanded to include most of Norfolk's interior, and its eastern coast.

Flooding, power cuts and tricky driving conditions were all sparked by the weather, with police urging people to think twice before any travel.

But there was also time for a spot of sledding at Mousehold Heath, with fun-seekers taking to the short slopes by mid-morning.