The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) first published the Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) on 27 April 2023, according to the GOV.UK publication page1. The plan applies to England and aims "to protect individuals and communities from the health effects of adverse weather and to build community resilience"1. It brings together and builds on the previous Heatwave Plan for England and the Cold Weather Plan for England1.
The plan is underpinned by supporting evidence, guidance and support materials, and the Weather-Health Alerts for heat and cold, developed in partnership with the Met Office1. A joint statement on the plan and summer 2023 preparedness was developed with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Met Office and the Local Government Association, and is available on the NHS England website1. A UKHSA hot weather communications toolkit supporting the plan states that it "was first published in April 2023" and delivers UKHSA's commitment under the National Adaptation Programme to develop a single plan, bringing together and improving current guidance on weather and health2. The toolkit adds that the plan has been updated for 2025/262.
The Weather-Health Alerting system issues Heat-Health Alerts (HHAs). The system is operational year-round, but the core alerting season for HHAs is between 1 June and 30 September, with a Heat-Health Planner issued every Monday and Friday covering the next 5 days, 6 to 15 days, and 16 to 30 days ahead2. From 1 June 2024, HHAs and Heat-Health Planners have been issued by UKHSA in collaboration with the Met Office2. Individuals and organisations wishing to receive the impact based HHA must register, and users can specify which regions they wish to receive alerts for2. The alert status is also publicly available on the UKHSA Data Dashboard2.
Alerts are given a colour based on the combination of the impact the weather conditions could have and the likelihood of those impacts being realised2:
| Alert colour | Meaning given by UKHSA |
|---|---|
| Green (preparedness) | No alert issued; conditions likely to have minimal impact on health; business as usual and summer planning and preparedness activities |
| Yellow (response) | May be issued during periods of heat unlikely to impact most people but which could impact those particularly at risk |
| Amber (enhanced response) | Weather impacts likely to be felt across the whole health service, with potential for the whole population to be at risk |
| Red (emergency response) | Significant risk to life for even the healthy population |
The HHA targets the health and social care sector and the responder community, while the Met Office's National Severe Weather Warning Service has a wider audience that includes the public; the HHA issues yellow to red alerts, whereas the national service issues only amber and red warnings for extreme heat2. The toolkit notes that the impact-based alert colours are not typically used in public facing communications2.
"It is estimated that 2,117 people aged 65 years and over died due to the heat in England in 2023"
The same toolkit records that in July 2022 temperatures exceeded 40°C for the first time on record, and that the number of heat-related deaths per year is predicted to triple by 20502.
Why it matters for households
The plan sets out who is considered at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell in hot weather. The toolkit lists older people aged 65 years and over, noting a change from previous guidance of 75 years of age and above, babies and young children aged 5 years and under, and people with underlying health conditions, particularly heart problems, breathing problems, dementia, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson's disease or mobility problems2. It also lists pregnant women, people on certain medications, people with serious mental health problems, people who are already ill and dehydrated, people who experience alcohol or drug dependence, people who are physically active and spend a lot of time outside, people who work in jobs requiring manual labour or extensive time outside, people experiencing homelessness, and people who live alone and may be unable to care for themselves2.
The toolkit states that many of the harms linked to heat exposure are preventable if a few simple actions are taken, and that during the summer UKHSA works with the Met Office to issue alerts alongside the weather forecast if the weather is so hot that it has the potential to affect people's health2. It also records that the Flood Forecasting Centre has launched the 2025 Rapid Flood Guidance Service, which offers early warnings and preparedness advice2. General household preparedness guidance is set out in the uk-preparedness hub.
What happens next
The GOV.UK page records that the plan has been revised repeatedly since first publication, with a new version added on 20 March 2025 and the Adverse Weather and Health Plan 2026 to 2027 added on 25 March 2026; the page was last updated on 22 April 20261. The 2023 to 2024 version was removed on 12 December 2025 as it had been superseded by the 2024 to 2025 report1. The toolkit states that updates for 2025/26 include revised sections on mortality associated with hot and cold weather, material on flooding and emerging hazards including drought and thunderstorm asthma, and information on health inequalities arising from the AWHP Equity Review2.
Sources (2)
- Adverse Weather and Health Plan - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- PHE document, humberandnorthyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk
