The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued two amber health alerts for parts of the country as cold weather is set to ring in the new year.
The alerts, which warn of a rise in deaths particularly among elderly and vulnerable people, cover the North East and North West of England from 20:00 GMT on Sunday to 12:00 on 5 January.
Temperatures in these regions are expected to fall to around -4C, with snow predicted in the North West on 3 and 4 January. The low temperatures are likely to affect health and care services, the agency added.
Overnight into Monday, temperatures are expected to fall to as low as -1C in Penrith, with northern areas of Scotland set for temperatures of -6C.
Other impacts include temperatures inside hospitals and care homes dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks, and challenges for people keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C, the UKHSA said.
Staffing issues, due to travel delays, may also arise from the cold spell.
Most of England will be cloudy overnight, and there will be patches of frost and fog which could mean “tricky travelling conditions” on Monday morning, the forecaster said.
Brisk northwesterly winds could bring wintry showers to the areas of northern England and drizzle in the lead up to New Year’s Day.
Between 2 and 11 January, cold northerly winds in Scotland are expected to become dominant across the UK, bringing snow showers mainly to coastal areas that will work south, the Met Office said.
Inland locations across central and southern areas will remain mostly dry but cold.
On Friday, temperatures in the the North East and North West will feel colder due to the wind chill – a temperature of -4C could feel more like -8C, the Met Office said.
The agency also issued less serious yellow cold health alerts for the rest of England, covering the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
Temperatures in areas covered by the yellow warning are expected to fall to around highs of 6C and lows below freezing from New Year’s Day.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said it was “vital” to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are vulnerable
The predicted temperatures can have a “serious impact” on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, he warned.
Cold health alerts and weather warnings were issued for parts of the UK on Christmas Day, forcing several annual open water swimming events to be cancelled.
