Cold Health Alerts Expanded for UK as Winter Weather Arrives

Further cold health alerts have been issued for parts of the UK for Sunday night and the week ahead.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued cold health alerts for the north-west, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. The alerts were in place from 9pm on Sunday until 9am on Thursday.

The measures indicate that the weather could have minor impacts on health and social care services, including greater use of healthcare services and a heightened risk to life among vulnerable people, the agency said.

The alert came after forecasters suggested the UK would experience a milder weekend before another cold snap arrived on Monday.

Paul Coleman, a consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said: “This is the latest cold health alert of the season, and we can expect more as we move further into winter. Cold weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing conditions, so it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours who are most vulnerable.”

He advised people to heat the rooms they use most and wear warm clothes.

The Met Office said that on Saturday night, central and easterly parts of England should remain dry with clear spells and a touch of frost, though cloudier conditions were forecast elsewhere along with some showery rain.

On Sunday, temperatures were expected not to fall below freezing in the morning, with sunshine forecast in the east and across the far north and west as the day progressed. Conditions were otherwise expected to be fairly bleak, with plenty of grey skies, cold breezes and outbreaks of rain, some heavy, and potential hill snow in the north.

On Monday, colder weather was expected to return. Sunny skies would appear in patches across the UK, while cold showers were forecast to move through the north. Light snow was also expected in hilly areas in the north.

Ethan Douglas, operational meteorologist at the Met Office, told the Press Association: “On Sunday night and Monday morning, there is the potential for some disruptive ice, given the preceding rain and cold night, and snow. The snow risk will be confined to the Scottish hills, bringing difficult driving conditions there. The ice risk may be present more widely across the north of the UK, causing extended journey times and potentially hazardous travelling conditions.”

The brighter weather will continue throughout the week, though people should expect declining temperatures, the Met Office said.

On Friday night, temperatures plunged to as low as -6.6C in Sennybridge, near Brecon in south Wales, and -6.5C in Shap, a village near Penrith in Cumbria.

The first yellow cold health alerts of the season were issued earlier this week by the UKHSA for the West Midlands and the north-west, and remained in place until noon on Saturday.

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