UKHSA weather-health alerts · England · checked every 15 min

Cold Weather Alert UK

Yes. On Tuesday 10 November 2026 a Yellow cold-health alert is in force in 2 of England's 9 regions: North West and West Midlands from 09:00 Thu 12 Nov to 12:00 Sat 14 Nov 2026 (UKHSA).

UKHSA alerts ↗ Met Office weather warnings Power cuts

All 9 English regions, worst first 9

Region	Alert	Period	Last changed
North West	Yellow	Thu 12 Nov 09:00 → Sat 14 Nov 12:00	10 Nov 2026
West Midlands	Yellow	Thu 12 Nov 09:00 → Sat 14 Nov 12:00	10 Nov 2026
East Midlands	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
East of England	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
London	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
North East	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
South East	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
South West	Green	—	10 Nov 2026
Yorkshire and The Humber	Green	—	10 Nov 2026

UKHSA alerts cover England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: use Met Office warnings and your NHS service's advice.

Cold-health alert or weather warning?

	UKHSA cold-health alert	Met Office weather warning
About	Harm to health from cold temperatures	Dangerous weather: snow, ice, wind, rain, fog
Area	England, 9 regions	Whole UK, by local area
Aimed at	NHS, social care, carers, vulnerable people	Everyone: travel, homes, power
Can apply on a dry, still day?	Yes	Rarely
Levels	Green (none), Yellow, Amber, Red	Yellow, Amber, Red

Both can be in force at once. A cold-health alert does not trigger a Cold Weather Payment; that benefit has its own temperature rule.

What each level means

Green No alert. Little impact on health is expected; business as usual.
Yellow Cold weather could affect people who are particularly vulnerable — older people and those with heart or lung conditions — and health and social care services may see more demand.
Amber Cold weather is likely to affect the whole health service, with a risk to health across the wider population, not only the most vulnerable.
Red Significant risk to life, even for healthy people; severe impacts across health and social care are expected.

Official advice on staying warm and checking on others: NHS — keep warm, keep well. Cold homes and heaters raise carbon monoxide risk: fit an alarm.

QuestionsCold weather alerts

Is there a cold weather alert in the UK today?

Yes. On Tuesday 10 November 2026 a Yellow cold-health alert is in force in 2 of England's 9 regions: North West and West Midlands from 09:00 Thu 12 Nov to 12:00 Sat 14 Nov 2026 (UKHSA).

What is the difference between a cold-health alert and a Met Office weather warning?

A cold-health alert comes from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and warns that cold temperatures are likely to harm health — mostly older people and those with heart or lung conditions — and to put pressure on the NHS and social care. It covers England only and can be in force on a dry, still day. A Met Office weather warning is about the weather itself — snow, ice, wind, rain or fog — covers the whole UK, and warns of danger and disruption such as blocked roads or power cuts.

What do Yellow, Amber and Red cold-health alerts mean?

Yellow: cold could affect the most vulnerable people and add demand on health services. Amber: impacts are likely across the whole health service, with risk to the wider population. Red: significant risk to life even for healthy people. Each level combines how likely the impact is with how severe it would be.

Is a cold-health alert the same as a Cold Weather Payment?

No. Cold Weather Payments are a separate benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions, triggered when the average temperature at your local weather station is recorded or forecast at 0°C or below for 7 days in a row. A cold-health alert does not trigger a payment.

What this page shows, and what it misses

The current cold-health alert colour for each of England's 9 regions from UKHSA's weather-health alert service, checked every 15 minutes, with UKHSA's period, likelihood, impact and text for regions on alert. Alerts are issued with the Met Office, mainly between 1 November and 31 March. This page gives no medical advice of its own; follow UKHSA and NHS guidance. It does not show Met Office weather warnings — those are on our UK warnings page.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) weather-health alerts, ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk.