Rare 48-hour weather alert as health chiefs warns Brits about freezing conditions
There’s more bad news for shivering Brits as an amber weather alert has been extended for the fourth time, with severe frost and icy temperatures forecast for the rest of this week.
Following a Met Office warning, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the level 3 cold weather alert will now stay in place until 12pm on Saturday, January 28.
The alert was first issued on January 16 and was only expected to remain in place until January 20.
READ MORE: Polar snow blast could strike UK as rare Arctic phenomenon ‘releases -10C beast’
However, the warning has now been extended for a fourth time, with bitterly cold weather and icy conditions remaining highly likely in most parts of England.
(Image: Peter Harbour – Yorkshire Live)
The Met Office’s Alex Burkill told the Daily Star: “Temperatures by day, but also more impactfully by night, will remain below average. As such we can expect some harsh frosts, particularly Friday night, with freezing fog too.
“Whilst it won’t be as cold as a week or so ago, the length of time this cold period has lasted will contribute further to issues people, mainly those with underlying health concerns, may be feeling because of the cold.”
While daytime temperatures remain close to the January average, clear night skies are resulting in brutally cold overnight conditions.
(Image: Peter Harbour – Yorkshire Live)
The Met Office said further night frosts are expected over the weekend, especially on Friday night into Saturday morning.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly older people and those with pre-existing health conditions, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
“During this period, it is important to check in on family, friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold weather. If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over the age of 65, it is important to try and heat your home to at least 18C if you can.”
(Image: Peter Harbour – Yorkshire Live)
Frosty nights could give way to snowy days as we move into February with a rare weather phenomenon known as a “sudden stratospheric warming” [SSW] forecast for the middle of next month.
Normally, high-altitude polar vortex winds keep icy air locked up around the North Pole. But a weakening of those winds, allied to a slow-down in the jet stream, could “release the beast” and send a blast of Arctic weather our way.
Met Office forecaster Matthew Box told the Daily Star: “We get roughly four to eight wintertime Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) events per decade.
“Models are predicting that a SSW event will occur through late January. SSW events take a few weeks to have an effect at the surface, but when they do occur they increase the likelihood of outbreaks of cold Arctic air affecting the UK”.
Even without an SSW phenomenon, forecasters say we can expect mid-February to be lower than the -10C recorded in parts of the country this week.
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