The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has set out the first cold episode of winter 2024 to 2025 in its cold mortality monitoring report for England, published on 18 February 2026 and corrected on 22 October 20261. The episode lasted two days, from 20 November 2024 to 21 November 20241. A cold episode is defined as a period of two or more consecutive days where the average daily mean temperature across England was below 2°C, in line with the temperature threshold for issuing a yellow Cold Health Alert (CHA)1.
During the episode, an amber CHA was in place in six regions of England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England1. The other three regions, London, South East and South West, had a yellow CHA in place1. The UKHSA estimates that 421 cold-associated deaths occurred in this episode (95% confidence interval: 319 to 525), the lowest of the winter's three episodes1.
| Region | Alert in place, 20 to 21 November 2024 |
|---|---|
| North East | Amber |
| North West | Amber |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Amber |
| East Midlands | Amber |
| West Midlands | Amber |
| East of England | Amber |
| London | Yellow |
| South East | Yellow |
| South West | Yellow |
The report covers the whole winter of November 2024 to March 2025, during which three cold episodes met the definition, comprising a total of 11 days1. The second lasted three days, from 2 January 2025 to 4 January 2025, with an amber CHA issued on 2 January for all regions of England that remained in place until 14 January 20251. The third lasted six days, from 7 January 2025 to 12 January 2025, with an amber CHA in place in all regions1. The Met Office National Severe Weather Warning Service issued several amber snow warnings for some areas in the north of England from 3 January 2025 until 12 January 20251.
Across the winter, the UKHSA estimates 2,788 cold-associated deaths (95% confidence interval: 2,149 to 3,438)1. Of these, 1,600 were directly associated with cold weather, independent of influenza circulation, and 1,188 were linked to cold weather causing increases in influenza infection1. The correction of 22 October 2026 raised the winter total from 2,544, an increase of 10%, and the estimate for the second episode from 493 to 738, an increase of 50%, after the agency corrected which dates met the cold episode definition1. The report states that the error resulted from incorrectly identifying which dates in winter 2024 to 2025 met the definition of a cold episode1.
"This is the first annual cold mortality monitoring report published by the UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA )."
The report is published as official statistics in development1. It says cold-associated deaths were seen in all regions except the North East, and that the strongest cold-mortality relationship was observed in adults aged 85 years and over, with differences observed by sex1. Deaths occurred in care homes, hospitals, people's own homes and hospices1. The South East had the highest number of cold-associated deaths over the winter, at 515 (95% confidence interval: 330 to 698), while the East of England had the highest rate when adjusted for population size, at 69 deaths per million population (95% confidence interval: 50 to 89)1. The report also says vulnerability to cold weather episodes has increased when comparing the relationship between temperature and mortality in the recent five-year period against the previous five-year period1.
Why it matters for households
The episode shows how the Cold-Health Alert system works in practice: a two-day spell below the 2°C England average was enough to put six regions on amber and the remaining three on yellow. The UKHSA report sets out what each UKHSA alert level meant in this episode, and its findings identify adults aged 85 and over as the group with the strongest relationship between cold weather and mortality, with deaths also occurring in people's own homes as well as in care homes, hospitals and hospices. The report does not set out specific advice for households for this episode; its findings on who is most at risk in cold weather are presented by age group, sex, region and place of death.
What happens next
The report was corrected on 22 October 2026, and the UKHSA describes it as official statistics in development1. The agency says it is carrying out a user survey to gather views and shape the future of the publication1. No further publication dates are given in the report.
Cold-Health Alerts Explained
Cold-Health Alerts
Staying Well in Cold Weather
