Level 3 cold weather alert extended for northern England until 16 March

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended the level 3 cold weather alert for the North East of England, North West of England and Yorkshire and the Humber until 9am on Thursday 16 March, in an update published on Monday 13 March 2023¹. A level 2 cold weather alert is in place for the West Midlands, East Midlands and East of England for the same period¹.

The extension follows a series of alerts through the winter. As of Monday 6 March, all regions of England were under a level 3 cold weather alert, in place between 1am on Monday 6 March and midnight on Thursday 9 March¹. On Wednesday 8 March the level 3 alert was extended until 9am on Monday 13 March¹. The current position, by region, is set out below.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said:

UKHSA says cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with pre-existing health conditions, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections¹. Its published guidance states that people with a pre-existing medical condition or aged over 65 should try to heat their home to at least 18°C if they can¹. Where not all rooms used can be heated, UKHSA says it is important to heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before going to sleep, that wearing several layers of thinner clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer, and that plenty of hot food and drinks is also effective for keeping warm¹. It also advises keeping the bedroom window shut at night¹.

For people struggling to afford heating bills, UKHSA points to Simple Energy Advice, which it says provides free advice on energy efficiency and national grants available to help keep you warm this winter¹.

Why it matters for households

The alert covers six of the nine regions of England, with the level 3 areas in the north remaining at the higher level and the Midlands and East of England at level 2 until the same deadline of 9am on Thursday 16 March¹. The practical effect is that the cold-weather health guidance above applies to households across those regions for the rest of the week. UKHSA's advice to check on family, friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold is directed at the period of low temperatures¹. The agency has not reported in this update any further detail on forecast temperatures or on weather warnings for specific days.

What happens next

The level 3 and level 2 alerts run until 9am on Thursday 16 March¹. UKHSA has not reported whether the alerts will be extended beyond that time. The page carrying these updates is dated 13 March 2023¹.

The UKHSA's role and its alerting arrangements are set out in the guide to the UK Health Security Agency, and the meaning of each level is explained in cold-health alerts and what the UKHSA alert levels mean and in yellow, amber and red cold-health alerts. Further background sits in the storms and snow and health emergencies sections, with separate guidance on signing up for Met Office weather alerts and on staying well in cold weather and who is most at risk.