UK snow and ice warning cold health alerts Met Office, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): Disruptive snow and ice is possible on Sunday night and into Monday morning, according to forecasters at the Met Office, as yellow cold health alerts are set to take effect in parts of the UK. The Met Office’s operational meteorologist Ethan Douglas said there was the potential for disruptive ice, given the preceding rain and a cold night, along with snow.
Douglas said the cold could create an ice risk on roads, causing “potentially hazardous travelling conditions”. The snow risk was expected to be constrained to Scottish hills, bringing difficult driving conditions there, while the ice risk may be present more widely across the north of the UK, causing extended journey times.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the cold health alerts for the North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber. They run from 9pm on Sunday until 9am on Thursday, and the agency warned that the conditions could increase use of healthcare services and pose a greater risk to life for vulnerable people.
Paul Coleman, a consultant in Public Health at the UKHSA, said this was the latest cold health alert of the season and more could be expected as winter progresses. He said cold weather can seriously affect the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and urged people to check on friends, family and neighbours who are most vulnerable.
Coleman advised people to heat the rooms they use most, where possible, and to dress warmly during colder spells. Frosty conditions were expected to persist as the alerts came into force on Sunday evening.
In London, the Met Office forecast a sunny start to Sunday followed by rain later in the morning, with dry conditions returning in the afternoon and a high of 11C. Heavy rain was expected on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Northern Scotland and Northern Ireland were forecast to be brighter and colder on Sunday, with some wintry showers bringing snow to the hills.
Cold conditions were set to continue on Monday with long sunny intervals for most, though approaching cloud was expected to dim the sunshine later in the day. Those in the north east of Scotland should prepare for further wintry showers, the Met Office said.
