The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is issuing several yellow Cold‑Health Alerts (CHAs)amid a heightened risk of adverse temperatures in seven parts of England. These serve as an early warning when harsher weather is likely to impact the 'well-being of the population'.
At the time of writing, the UKHSA explained that CHAs would take effect from 6pm tonight (February 17) and remain in place for 72 hours, until 6pm on Friday, February 20. The alerts will impact the North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, and South West, while London and the South East remain unaffected.
Official UK Government guidance on CHAs states: "The alerting system provides an early warning when adverse temperatures are likely to impact on the health and well-being of the population. The Weather health alerting system is provided by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in partnership with the Met Office.
"It's intended to provide early warning to the health and social care sector, the responder community, the voluntary and community sector and government departments when adverse temperatures are likely to impact on the health and well-being of the population."
The CHA system usually runs from November 1 to March 31 each year, while the Heat-Health Alerts (HHAs) system generally runs between June 1 to September 30 each year.
However, if a cold episode happens outside this main period, an exceptional alert will be triggered. Alerts can be directlyemailed to anyone who fills out a registration form.
Today's alerts come as the Met Office is currently forecasting both snow and rain in parts of England over the coming days. In some areas, this may be accompanied by strong winds, enhancing the likelihood of detrimental impacts.
"Spells of rain, some heavy, will affect southern parts of England during Wednesday and overnight into Thursday, whilst some snow is also likely over higher ground, chiefly during Wednesday night," the Met Office has said.
"10-20 mm of rain is expected quite widely with a few places near the south coast seeing 20-30 mm and perhaps as much as 50 mm over Dartmoor. Strong east to northeasterly winds will accompany the rain and/or snow, which could exacerbate impacts in places. Large waves could affect some east-facing coasts, especially along the English Channel."
In light of this, residents are encouraged to check whether their properties are at risk of flooding. If so, it could be worth preparing a flood plan and emergency kit. This may include important documents, waterproof clothing, drinking water and medicines for emergencies.
Considering what should happen to your pets and any important contact details you might need is also especially helpful in these situations. For example, being aware of your home insurance details before an incident can enable you to respond more swiftly to potential damage.
The Met Office guidance has added: "People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
"Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area."
For more information on the UKHSA alerts, visit GOV.UK here.
Full list of Cold‑Health Alerts (CHAs) in place
