Mini-Chat
older men wrapped up warm
Severe cold weather can be dangerous for vulnerable groups such as older people and those with serious illnesses.
Older people are particularly at risk as they do not feel the cold until their body temperature falls. With this in mind, the Met Office is working in partnership with Public Health England to provide Cold Weather Alerts that inform the Cold Weather Plan for England.
Our Cold Weather Alert service operates in England from 1 November to 31 March every year.
Met Office Cold Weather Alerts are sent to NHS Trusts in England, and Age UK centres, to ensure that staff and resources are ready for any cold weather periods and those who are more vulnerable to cold weather conditions are informed / made aware and prepared.
Cold Weather Alerts are also issued on our website, via weather forecasts on TV and radio and also via our Twitter feed.
This year there are five alert levels:
Level 0 – Long term planning
Level 1 – Winter preparedness and action
Level 2 – Extreme winter weather is forecast - Alert and readiness - 60% risk of severe weather in one or more defined geographical areas in the days that follow.
Level 3 – Response to extreme winter weather - severe weather action – indicates severe winter weather is now occurring.
Level 4 – Major incident - National Emergency – period of cold weather is so severe and / or prolonged that its effects extend outside of health and social care.
We are pleased to be working in partnership with Age UK to support older people who are potentially at risk to inform them of what to do when Cold Weather Alerts are issued.
Age UK effectively helps the Met Office target vulnerable older people during periods of cold weather and as such have helped contribute towards the national Cold Weather Plan.
More information about the affects of cold weather on health and actions to take in the event of an alert being issued can be found on the Met Office website. Or visit the ‘Get Ready for Winter’ web pages which offer advice on preparing for winter.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/sp ... uest-blog/
