28 March 2013: Cold Weather Alert issued for parts of England
The Met Office is predicting severe cold weather and icy conditions between 8am Thursday 28 March and 8am Monday 1 April in parts of England.
- Bitterly cold easterly winds at first will ease as the Easter weekend progresses, but still bringing wintry showers to northeast England at first, as well as a few light snow flurries to the south of England at times.
- On Easter Monday the east to southeast breeze increases in strength once again in the south to accentuate the cold feel.
- With lying snow and partial snow melt during the daytimes icy conditions are expected in some areas in association with widespread overnight frost.
- The lowest average temperatures are expected to be in northern England, with the risk of meeting the low temperature criterion in other areas having decreased a little.
What is a Cold Weather Alert?
There are two different thresholds that relate to the Cold Weather Alerts. Only one of these thresholds needs to be met or exceeded for an alert to be triggered.
The thresholds are:
- Mean temperatures below 2° Celsius for 48 hours or longer
- Heavy snow and/or widespread ice
What should I do?
Exposure to cold weather for prolonged periods of time can be dangerous. It raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and can cause problems for people with breathing difficulties such as asthma.
You can protect your health by:
• Keeping your bedroom windows closed at night
• Wrapping up well when you go outside
• Keeping your living room at 70F (21C)
• Keeping your bedroom at 65F (18C)
If there is anyone you know who might be at risk, make sure they know what to do.
Download our Winter wrapped up guide for more help and advice (PDF 1MB)
- Find out more from the Met Office website
