Cold weather to ring in New Year as amber health alerts issued
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has issued two yellow health alerts for parts of the country due to the arrival of cold weather in the new year.
The alerts, which warn of rising deaths particularly among the elderly and vulnerable people, cover the North East and North West of England from 20:00 GMT on Sunday until 12:00 January 5.
Temperatures are expected to drop to around 200 degrees in these regions. -4C, snow expected in the North West on January 3rd and 4th. The agency added that low temperatures will likely affect health and care services.
Overnight temperatures are expected to drop to -1C in Penrith from Monday, while temperatures are expected to drop to -6C in northern parts of Scotland.
Other impacts include temperatures in hospitals and care homes falling below recommended levels to assess health risks, and difficulties people experience keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C, the UKHSA said.
Staffing issues due to travel delays may also be caused by cold weather.
Much of the UK will be cloudy overnight, with patches of frost and fog on Monday morning, which could mean “difficult travel conditions”, the forecaster said.
Strong north-west winds could bring showers to northern parts of England and drizzle ahead of New Year’s Eve.
The Met Office said cold northerly winds in Scotland are expected to become dominant across the UK between January 2 and 11, with snow showers expected to hit coastal areas, mostly moving southwards.
Inland areas in the central and southern regions will remain mostly dry but cold.
The Met Office said temperatures in the North East and North West on Friday will feel colder due to the wind, with a -4C temperature likely to look more like -8C.
The agency has also issued less serious yellow cold health warnings for the rest of England, covering the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
In the regions covered by the yellow warning, temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of around 6 degrees and drop to below freezing starting from the beginning of the year.
UKHSA’s head of extreme events and health protection, Dr. Agostinho Sousa says checking on friends, family and neighbors who are vulnerable is ‘vital’
It warned that forecast temperatures could have a “serious impact” on some people’s health, leading to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and chest infection, especially for those over 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Cold weather warnings and weather alerts were issued for parts of the UK on Christmas Day, necessitating the opening of open waters several times a year. swimming events will be cancelled.
