UKHSA has issued the first cold-health alert of winter 2026/27, a yellow alert for the North West and West Midlands from 9am on Thursday 12 November.
The UK Health Security Agency said the alert, which it announced on Tuesday, runs until 12pm on Saturday 14 November, a little over two days. Other regions of England are currently unaffected, it said.
Under the Weather Health Alerting system run with the Met Office, a yellow alert may be issued in heat or cold that would be unlikely to affect most people but could affect those who are particularly vulnerable.
Dr Anya Gopfert, Consultant in Public Health at UKHSA, said it was “vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours who are most vulnerable”. She added: “This is the first cold-health alert of the winter, but we can expect more as we move further into the season.”
The agency named people aged 65 and over, people with pre-existing health conditions including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and some other groups, such as those sleeping rough, as being at increased risk.
Low temperatures can also increase use of health care services by vulnerable people, it said.
Gopfert said keeping homes heated where possible and dressing warmly can help people stay safe and well. UKHSA has published guidance on staying safe in cold weather for the public and separate guidance for professionals protecting vulnerable people.
Yellow is the first of three alert colours that sit above green, where no alert is issued.
Amber means impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service, and red means significant risk to life even for the healthy population, according to a UKHSA blog post on the system.
The same post said that at yellow level, action is essential within health and social care settings. The alerts are primarily aimed at health and social care staff and emergency responders, although the public can also follow them.
Alerts are not set by a single temperature.
Since the system was updated in June 2023, UKHSA has weighed temperature thresholds and how long the weather is expected to last.
It also considers how many regions are affected, the potential for conditions to escalate, compounding risks such as snow, ice, wind or flooding, and whether services are already under strain.
The alerts are separate from the Met Office’s National Severe Weather Warning Service, which covers the whole UK and issues warnings for hazards such as snow, ice, wind and flooding.
The Met Office does not issue cold temperature-specific warnings under that service, the UKHSA blog said.
The health alerts cover England only, because weather-health responsibility is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UKHSA’s user guide says action is less common at yellow than at amber.
It cites heat alerts from summer 2023 as a reason not to ignore yellow.
One yellow heat-health alert period, from 10 to 12 August 2023, was associated with 129 heat-associated deaths per alert day, against 30 per day for the yellow alert from 23 to 26 June that year.
The cold-health alerting season begins on 1 November, and UKHSA’s data dashboard shows the current alert status across England. The user guide says users can register to receive alerts, and the automated system lets them choose which area of England they want updates about.
Outside alert periods, UKHSA issues a cold-health planner every Monday and Friday during the season.