Health alert extended again in Sussex and Surrey amid coldest night of winter

The Met Office confirmed that Thursday night (January 9 – 10) was the coldest of the winter so far in the UK. The temperature fell to minus 14.5°C in northern Scotland.

It is not quite that cold in the South East of England – but it is still freezing, with lows of minus six reported.

The Met Office said this has been caused by a ‘very severe frost’, with the lowest temperatures ‘tending to be in low-lying valleys where there's deep snow on the surrounding hills’.

As a result, The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold-health alert until 9am on Tuesday, January 14. It was first activated an on Wednesday, January 2 and was initially expected to run until 12pm on Wednesday, January 8. It was previously extended to 12pm on Sunday, January 12.

The UKHSA alert reads: “Forecast weather is likely to cause significant impacts across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

"We may also see impacts on younger age groups; a likely increase in demand for health services; temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks; challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people; staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays) and other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy).”

The Met Office correctly predicted that we would get ‘another bitterly cold night’ – with widespread hard frost across the UK.

Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said on Thursday: “Another very cold night is expected tonight with temperatures dipping as low as minus 16°C where we have lying snow in Scotland and northern England. Temperatures will also be well below freezing across much of the UK so there is a continued risk of ice overnight and through Friday morning’s rush hour.

“Milder air will attempt to move into the UK from the southwest on Friday morning, heralding the end of this impactful cold spell. Increasing cloud and light rain, perhaps preceded by a little snow, will begin to affect northwestern then northern parts of the UK through the weekend. Here, temperatures will be back to around average by Sunday, and on Monday it’ll be much milder, with temperatures reaching double digits in Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland.”

With temperatures falling this low, the risk of ice continues and motorists are advised to take care when driving.