Brace yourselves for a chilly spell, as temperatures are set to plummet to as low as minus 8C overnight during a week-long bout of wintry weather across the UK. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has sounded the alarm with cold weather health alerts for all of England, anticipating a spike in health risks.
From 12pm on Thursday until January 8, amber alerts are in place, signalling an expected increase in deaths, especially among those over 65 or with existing health conditions, according to the UKHSA.
Temperatures in rural Scotland and northern England were forecasted to drop to a teeth-chattering minus 8C on Thursday night.
The Met Office also forecasts cold weather in Wales and the more secluded areas of southern England, predicting temperatures could hover between minus 4C and minus 5C.
Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There’ll be widespread frost across the country (overnight), from Land’s End to John O’Groats. It will be comfortably below where we should be for this time of year and I would expect temperatures to hit minus 8C in parts of Scotland.”
Mr Stroud confirmed conditions should become warmer by the end of this weekend before cold weather strikes again early next week.
He said: “The second half of the weekend should be in the high singles or low doubles. But temperatures will dive again next week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday. They should start to improve towards the latter end of the week. But there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until then.”
The NHS Black Country integrated care board has issued a stark warning to the public to “avoid going out early when the frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark”, emphasising the importance of keeping hands free and wearing shoes with a good grip to prevent falls. In Herefordshire, the Wye Valley NHS Trust has advised residents to “have sufficient food and medicine and take measures to reduce draughts in your home” as part of their winter preparedness.
Age UK’s director Caroline Abrahams highlighted the impact of the Government’s decision to restrict the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners, which will be felt more acutely during the cold snap. Ms Abrahams shared that the charity had already heard from concerned older individuals, saying they were “worrying about what to do when this moment arrived”.
(Image: PA Graphics/Press Association Images)
The change this winter means that only those on pension credit or certain other benefits will receive the winter fuel payments, leaving over nine million without the allowance.
Ms Abrahams said: “We urge older people to do everything they can to stay warm, even if that means risking spending more on their heating than they feel they can afford.
“The energy companies are under an obligation to help if you are struggling and there may be support available from your local council too.”
Adding to the concerns, the Met Office has put out fresh weather warnings for ice, signalling a potential snow onslaught over the weekend. A yellow warning has been announced, indicating possible icy conditions in parts of Scotland, the north-west of England, and Northern Ireland.
A weather warning has been issued from 5pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday, forecasting tough conditions for travellers, according to the Met Office. There’s also a snow and ice warning over parts of northern Scotland during the same timeframe.
In a wide-reaching yellow warning that kicks in at noon on Saturday and lasts until 9am on Monday, large areas of England—excluding the South West—the majority of Wales, and southern Scotland could see significant snowfall. Up to 5cm of snow is expected across the Midlands, Wales, and northern England, while a hefty 20-30cm may pile up on higher terrain in Wales and the Pennines, added the Met Office.
Blustery conditions might lead to drifting snow, and a spike in temperatures brings the danger of treacherous ice from freezing rain.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “At the moment we’ve issued a very large snow warning for Saturday until Monday but it doesn’t mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow, it’s just a heads-up there could be some impacts.”
The Met Office has warned people to be prepared and aware when travelling with longer journey times likely.
Railways are likely to experience delays or cancellations, with National Rail confirming that various routes across England, Scotland and Wales are impacted.
Poor weather is currently affecting National Rail’s Northern and ScotRail services.
In Wales, buses are replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The yellow warning indicates there could be icy surfaces in northern and western Scotland, the north-west of England and Northern Ireland, so motorists and pedestrians alike are warned to be wary of icy patches on untreated roads, pavements, or cycle paths.
On Thursday, London councils activated an emergency accommodation protocol for people sleeping rough in freezing conditions.
The emergency measures, which see extra beds made available, have been active for three nights so far this winter.
A major incident declared in Greater Manchester on Wednesday because of flooding has been stood down, with emergency services and partners now focusing on recovery efforts.
There have been no casualties or reports of serious injuries.