All of England has been issued with a rare 144-hour amber alert for cold weather. The warning comes from the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Every region of England will be covered by the alert as temperatures are expected to plummet in the coming days. The amber cold health alert will be in place from noon today (Thursday, January 2) until noon on Wednesday, January 8.
The joint warning from the Met Office and UKHSA means that the weather is expected to have ‘severe impacts across health and social care services’. The alerts have been issued for the West Midlands, East Midlands, north east of England, north west of England, Yorkshire and The Humber, the east of England, London, the south East of England and the south west of England.
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There could be a ‘rise in deaths’, while there could be extra pressure on health services. In its forecast for Thursday, January 2, the Met Office said: “It will be a cold but mostly sunny day across the UK.
“Wintry showers for coasts exposed to the northerly breeze and North Sea. Remaining blustery in the north and east with lighter winds elsewhere.
It added: “A cold and frosty night will then follow for all with icy stretches possible. Wintry showers will persist in the north and patchy freezing fog is possible in the west.”
Describing conditions on Friday, January 3, the Met Office said: “Cold again with plenty of winter sunshine on offer, especially in the south and east. Wintry showers affecting northern and western coasts, winds staying generally light.”
In its outlook for Saturday, January 5, to Monday, January 6, it added: “Possibly disruptive rain and snow arriving in the south on Saturday, moving north into central areas on Sunday where it will turn milder. Colder, drier with wintry showers on Monday.”