Met Office issues woolly jumpers alert as Arctic blast brings plummeting temperatures

A cold weather alert has been issued across the country as Arctic air is set to deliver the first chills of winter to the UK.

The warning from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covers the Midlands and North of England and comes into effect between 9am on Sunday and 9am on Thursday.

It states that weather conditions are likely to have minor impacts on health and social care services, including increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, and a greater risk to life of vulnerable people.

It comes after the Met Office issued weather warnings for snow and ice for several areas of England from Sunday to Tuesday.

The forecaster urged people to get their “woolly jumpers at the ready!” as temperatures are set to drop next week. Commuters are urged to take particular care during Monday’s rush hour, when the roads are likely to be icy.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for parts of northern England and southern Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, with up to 20cm (8in) of snow possible on higher ground.

There is a small chance of up to 10cm (4in) of snow settling at lower levels, which could prove disruptive, forecasters said.

The warning covers much of southern Scotland and north-east England, parts of Yorkshire, and parts of north-west England, including Lancashire and Cumbria, and is in force from 10am on Monday until 10am on Tuesday.

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There is also a yellow warning for snow and ice in northern Scotland from 4pm on Sunday until 11am on Monday.

Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glaiyser said, in an online forecast, it may be “quite a chilly start to the day” for many on Sunday and plenty of showers are set to hit, particularly across northern parts of Scotland in the afternoon.

Brighter spells across the very far south of England could see people enjoying a “quite pleasant” 11 or 12C in areas where there is sunshine and light winds.

But clouds, particularly across Northern Ireland, and northerly winds in Scotland mean afternoon temperatures are not set to reach much above 4-5C.

By Monday there is a risk of some sleet and snow that could be disruptive, the forecaster says.

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Ms Glaiyser said that with temperatures forecast to drop to zero “if not just below, particularly in some rural spots”, particularly in the north there could be “quite a hard frost likely on Monday morning, and this could lead to some icy stretches”.

She urged travellers to “take care during Monday morning’s rush hour”.

The sleet and snow is most likely to be falling over any high ground.

She added: “We could perhaps see up to 20 centimetres of snow across the Pennines and at lower levels it will mostly be falling as rain.

“There is still a very small chance that we could see some sleet and snow perhaps causing some disruption during Monday afternoon to lower levels, but for the most part that sleet and snow (is) remaining over the high ground for parts of Scotland.”