The UK has been warned to expect plunging temperatures in a matter of days as yellow cold weather alerts have been issued.
The Met Office and the Government’s UK Health Standards Agency has placed four regions under these warnings – with impacts of an icy mercury affecting the most vulnerable.
The alert is due to expire today, but is thought it will be be updated to include a treacherous period of snow later this week.
In a statement, the alert says: “Widespread frost is forecast across western parts overnight into Saturday, and then more widely overnight into Sunday.
“While daytime temperatures are expected to recover to the mid-single digits of Celcius for much of England, these are likely to remain closer to freezing for some northern and western parts, particularly across rural areas.
It adds milder temperatures are likely to make a resurgence this week, but uncertainty still prevails over whether the northern and western parts of the UK will recover so quickly.
The Met Office map pinpoints the following areas as being under a yellow cold weather alert:
- Liverpool
- Blackpool
- Chester
- Manchester
- Leeds
- York
- Hull
- Scarborough
- Carlisle
- Newcastle
- Middlesbrough
This cold weather alert places more concern on those who have illnesses exacerbated by a dip in temperatures.
