Don’t go exterior! NHS warns Brits to not exit in early morning or evenings and to fill up on meals and drugs as nation braces for 3 days of snow in -10C ice blast

The NHS has issued an urgent warning for people not to venture outside as the UK braces for three days of snowfall and a -10C ice blast this weekend. 

Medics have warned vulnerable people to avoid going out early or late in the evening, to stock up on food and medications and take sensible precautions. 

Even London could face two five-hour periods of snowfall, Met Office maps have suggested, after the capital was placed under a rare two-day weather warning.

Forecasters imposed an updated yellow snow alert this morning for most of England and all of Wales, running from noon on Saturday until 11.59pm on Sunday – having initially put out the warning until 9am on Monday when first announced yesterday.

Meteorologists say there is ‘considerable uncertainty’ over where and when the snow will fall, but the latest warning maps suggest London will see it over two periods.

The first could happen this Saturday evening between 5pm and 10pm, and then the second is set to be 24 hours later from 10pm on Sunday to 2am on Monday morning.

In the West Midlands, the NHS Black Country integrated care board warned of the dangers of slips, trips and falls.

‘Avoid going out early in the morning when frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark,’ it said, adding that people should wear shoes with good grip and keep their hands free to stabilise themselves.

In Herefordshire, the Wye Valley NHS Trust told people to ‘make sure you have sufficient food and medicine and take measures to reduce draughts in your home’. George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, in Nuneaton, issued the same advice.

It comes as Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan activated London’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) today to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers in London.

And Government officials at the UK Health Security Agency imposed a six-day amber cold health alert for all of England from today until January 8 which warns the weather will likely cause ‘significant impacts across health and social care services’.

This includes a ‘rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions – we may also see impacts on younger age groups’ amid a ‘likely increase in demand for health services’ and ‘more risk to vulnerable people’.

While the amount of snow set to fall in London has not been confirmed, about 2in (5cm) is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England.

The warning could be updated before the weekend, but the highest accumulations of 30cm (1ft) to 40cm (1ft 3in) are currently anticipated over high ground in the Pennines, while Mid to North Wales could see between 20cm (8in) and 30cm (1ft).

This is the first time the Met Office has issued a snow warning for Greater London in nearly two years since March 2023 – and only the 13th time over the past five years.

But there is still some doubt over whether snow will actually fall in London, given the Met Office app’s hour-by-hour forecast for the capital currently features no snow.

The last time any Met Office weather station reported snow on the ground in Greater London was December 12, 2022 when Northolt in West London had 1cm (0.4in).

But the weather service does not have many stations that report snow depth in London – and there have been incidences of light dustings of snow since that year.

The most recent was on November 19, 2024 with a dusting amid an Arctic chill that saw temperatures fall well below zero, trains cancelled and cars stuck in other parts of the country.

There was also some falling snow in London on March 8, 2023 when 4cm (1.6in) accumulated just outside the capital at Amersham in Buckinghamshire – although no snow accumulated at any of the London weather sites operated by the Met Office.

Snow also fell in London during lockdown on January 24, 2021, when people were seen sledging down a hill in Greenwich Park and making snowmen in Battersea Park.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said yesterday that the ‘very large’ snow warning for ‘doesn’t mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow – it’s just a heads-up there could be some impacts’.

He continued: ‘It’s definitely going to start off as snow in many places but it’s a question of how quickly that snow melts and turns back to rain, it’s more likely that the snow won’t last that long in southern England.

‘It’s quite likely the warning will be updated quite frequently between now and the weekend. Certainly if you’ve got travel plans on Sunday and perhaps Monday stay tuned into the forecast.’

Forecasters warned that rural communities could become cut off, schools could potentially be closed and there is a chance of power cuts and road closures as well as delays and cancellations to flights and trains.

Separately, there is also a snow warning for up to 20cm (8in) in Scotland running for all of Sunday and until 12pm on Monday.

Meanwhile a yellow ice warning is in force for much of the UK from 5pm today until 10am tomorrow – indicating there could be difficult travel conditions across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, stretching down to Manchester.

A further snow and ice warning is also in place covering northern Scotland from 4pm today until 10am tomorrow, as rain turning to snow is likely to bring travel disruption and difficult driving conditions.

Wintry conditions have already caused disruption to road and rail travel today in many parts of Scotland, with warnings of further inclement weather to come.

There are currently no services on two railway lines in the Highlands after heavy rain caused landslips and flooding.

The Far North Line between Inverness and Wick is closed due to landslips at three sections of the route and flooding at Beauly.

Rail operator ScotRail said the line will be closed between Inverness and Dingwall until Saturday.

In a statement, ScotRail said: ‘We’re dealing with three landslips, between Lairg-Rogart, at Bunchrew near Inverness, and at Beauly. Flooding at Beauly has also closed the line.

‘We’ll share more information on the progress of repairs later.’

Rail replacement buses have been laid on, with ScotRail saying buses were due to depart Wick at 12.34pm and Inverness at 6.31pm.

But services are set to resume on the Highland Main Line after it was closed due to flooding caused by heavy rain in the Kingussie area.

The reopening of the line had been delayed while engineers waited for water levels in the Balavil Burn to fall to allow them to inspect a bridge, but Network Rail Scotland said this inspection had now been completed.

There are also warnings of difficult driving conditions throughout the country as a result of snow and ice, and the A939 between Cockbridge and Tomintoul in Aberdeenshire is closed due to snow.

After a stormy New Year’s Day yesterday, temperatures began falling early this morning with a low of -8C (17F) in the Scottish Highlands and -7C (19F) at Shap in Cumbria.

Tomorrow morning could bring even colder temperatures of -10C (14F) in snow-covered parts of Scotland as well as -4C (25F) in London.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said today that the imminent cold snap will bring the Government’s decision to limit the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners ‘into sharp relief’.

Ms Abrahams told how the charity had already been contacted by older people ‘worrying about what to do when this moment arrived’.

‘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,’ she said.

‘The energy companies are under an obligation to help if you are struggling and there may be support available from your local council too. Better that than to jeopardise your health.’

For those who intend to travel despite the current wintry weather, both the Met Office and National Rail issued alerts to remind Britons to plan ahead if on the move today.

Difficult driving conditions should be expected, particularly within areas under a yellow weather warning. Allowing extra time is also advised, with delays, diversions, or hampered conditions likely for road users.

For those using public transport, passengers are advised to check any timetables and services before setting out in case of delays or cancellations due to inclement weather.

As per National Rail, the poor weather will impact trains running across Great Britain, with Northern services, TransPennine Express services, Transport for Wales services and ScotRail services all impacted.

Two new flood alerts were issued just prior to 6am today, with river levels peaking for both the Lower River Wharfe system in Yorkshire and Lower River Ure waterway in North Yorkshire.

The peaked water levels mean both the Wharfe and Ure river systems and surrounding tributaries are at risk of flooding.

Areas most at risk within the Lower River Ure system include low-lying land including agricultural land and local roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.

For Lower River Wharfe, areas at risk of flooding span from Otley to upstream of Ulleskelf, including Tadcaster.

No further significant rainfall is expected for today in the area, with water levels expected to begin falling in the coming hours.

Britons in the area are advised to avoid using low-lying footpaths, or any bridges near local watercourses, and to not attempt to walk, drive or cycle through flood waters, with officials advising that if the area is flooded, then forget it.

It comes after a major incident was declared in Greater Manchester yesterday after flooding forced homes to be evacuated and closed train lines and roads following heavy rain.

Greater Manchester Police said the major incident had been declared as mountain rescue teams were deployed to help Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service deal with damaged properties and stranded vehicles.

The police force added that the affected areas still under monitoring were Didsbury, Stockport, Trafford and Wigan.

Around 450 people were evacuated yesterday evening from a Didsbury hotel while 400 homes were at a lower risk with no widespread evacuation needed, police said.

Residents were also evacuated from a block of flats in Meadow Mill, Stockport.

The North West and Wales saw heavy rain yesterday, with Marsden seeing 101.2mm of rainfall, more than West Yorkshire’s January monthly average of 85.1mm. 

Capel Curig in Wales measured 101.2mm, which is nearly a third of the monthly average of 327mm.

A number of train routes were disrupted or blocked by flooding yesterday, mainly in the North West of England, with some Northern services, TransPennine Express services, Transport for Wales services, and South Western Railway services affected.

National Highways said a section of the A628 Woodhead Pass between Woolley Bridge and Flouch was closed due to flooding, as was the westbound M56 between Junction 6 for Manchester Airport and Junction 8 for Bowdon.

In Bristol, the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated by Bristol City Council and homeless charity St Mungo’s, which will run until January 8.

This will see increased outreach shifts and more accommodation made available, with the aim of ensuring nobody has to sleep on the streets during such extreme weather.