The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold weather health alert for all of England including the North East, starting this evening 31 December until 6 January
The Met Office has predicted continuing icy conditions(Image: PA)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a health warning in response to dropping temperatures across the UK, including the North East.
This warning is set to commence from this evening, December 31, 2025 at 8pm, and will remain in effect until next Tuesday, 6 January 2026 at 10am. Every region of England falls under the Amber warning, which is rated as a 12 on the risk index, indicating a 60-89% likelihood of medium impact.
The UKHSA warns that the forecasted weather could have significant impacts on health and social care services. One major concern is a potential increase in deaths, especially among those aged 65 and over or those with health conditions, although younger age groups may also be affected, reports Chronicle Live.
Consequently, there is likely to be an increased demand for health services across the areas under warning, with indoor temperatures in hospitals, care homes, and clinics potentially falling below the levels recommended for assessing health risks. This also applies to home heating, making it challenging to maintain the recommended indoor temperature of 18°C, thereby posing a greater risk to vulnerable individuals.
Additional problems such as travel delays due to snow and ice could result in staffing issues across various sectors. While the UKHSA weather alerts don’t apply to Scotland, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across most of the country until 4 January.
In the North East, despite not being under any specific weather alerts, residents can still expect snow and cold conditions. The majority of the snowfall in the region is predicted for next week, outside of the cold weather alert period, but freezing temperatures are still forecasted for the area.
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