Cornwall is set to be gripped by cold temperatures this weekend. An amber cold health alert has been issued by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and people have been warned of significant disruption across health and social care services.
The Met Office is expecting the coldest weather to arrive in Cornwall tomorrow (Saturday, January 4). Although the yellow snow and ice warning does not cover the county, the mercury is still set to plunge towards freezing.
At 2pm tomorrow, the temperature will drop to as low as 3C in Bodmin. Meanwhile, Newquay and St Austell will see temperatures of 4C.
It will be a slightly warmer 5C in Looe, Truro, Falmouth, St Ives and St Just at the same time. Meanwhile, a band of rain is also expected to hit tomorrow afternoon, becoming increasingly heavy as the day goes on.
The temperature will stay low throughout tomorrow afternoon and into the evening. Then as we move into Sunday (January 5) conditions will become milder.
According to the Met Office radar, the temperature will be 12C in Bodmin, St Austell, St Ives and St Just at 12pm on Sunday. It will be a slightly warmer 13C in Truro, Falmouth and Newquay at the same time.
The mild temperatures will last throughout the day before it turns chillier once again on Monday morning (January 6). The mercury will drop back down as low as 4C at 6am.
(Image: Met Office)
Amber cold health alert issued
The UKHSA is warning of significant disruption across health and social care services. The amber cold health alert is in place until 12pm next Wednesday (January 8).
During the cold health alert, the UKHSA has warned that health services could be overwhelmed with demand. There may also be transport disruption due to freezing temperatures.
The disruption may include:
- a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups
- a likely increase in demand for health services
- temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks
- challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people
- staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays)
- other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy)