While many parts of Norfolk and Suffolk saw snow showers as the Beast from the East weather front blasted in last night, people in Lowestoft experienced a particularly unusual phenomenon.

Twitter user @tomiiboii posted a video of thundersnow in the seaside town, impressing Weatherquest forecaster Dan Holley.

The video shows snow falling at the same time as thunder is rumbling - a phenomenon which is rare in the United Kingdom.

As the name suggests, thundersnow is essentially a storm wherein precipitation takes the form of snow, rather than rain.

The phenomenon is rare, as thunderstorms are more prevalent in the summer months, but they are caused in the same way, as a result of a warm pocket of air colliding with colder air above.

https://twitter.com/danholley_/status/968244846094897153

The storm itself can be quite different to a normal thunderstorm though.

The thunder during a thundersnow storm can not be heard over as great a distance, as the snow on the ground acts as a sound buffer, meaning you have to be very close to the lightning to hear the thunder.

Conversely, the lightning during a thundersnow storm appears much brighter, as it reflects back off falling snow and can often have a dazzling effect.

Mr Holley tweeted at just after 10pm that Thundersnow was happening in Lowestoft tonight, with thunder also heard in Great Yarmouth.

And after @tomiiboii posted their short video of the thundersnow, Mr Holley retweeted it and replied: 'Awesome! Very jealous'.

But Lowestoft seems to be the place to head for people keen to witness thundersnow. A video of snow falling during a thunderstorm in the town was also posted in December.