Daytime temperatures during the first half of the week will struggle to reach above 3 to 6 Celsius for many, triggering several cold weather alerts from Public Health England (PHE) following advice from the Met Office.  There are also several weather warnings in place for snow and ice across the UK on Monday and Tuesday.

Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said:  “The cold weather will continue to bring a risk of snow showers, icy conditions and widespread overnight frosts during the first part of the week.

“Though parts of England and Wales will see low cloud giving way to sunny spells on Monday, elsewhere, strong winds, heavy rain and hill snow will move into northwestern areas.  Wintry showers of rain, sleet, hail and snow will then follow from Tuesday.

Towards the end of the week there are now signs of some less cold weather, reducing the likelihood of frost, ice and snow for a time.  Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Tony Wardle, said:  “Our latest forecast shows signs of a change to less cold weather from Friday due to a westerly wind pattern, rather than colder northeasterly winds as previous forecasts suggested.

“Beyond this briefly less cold spell, it looks like temperatures will once again take a downward turn with the chance of snow, ice and frosts returning next week.”  Tony continued, “Looking further ahead, there are signs for a generally cold theme continuing into February."

 Dr Emer O’Connell of PHE said: “Experience shows us that every winter thousands of people are seriously affected and even die from illnesses linked to the cold. Protecting yourself from the cold may seem like common sense but many people do not manage to keep themselves warm.

“If you know someone at risk, someone over 65, anyone with dementia or a heart and lung condition, or a young child, check up on them and see if there’s anything you can do to help. All of us should be heating our homes to at least 18C, keeping up to date with weather forecasts and planning our days around them - simple steps can really help protect against the cold.”

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