Yellow warning for South West England
What to expect
Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers
Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel
Some rural communities could become cut off
Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
Bath and North East Somerset
Wales
Blaenau Gwent
A deep area of low pressure will move across the south of the UK during Thursday and into Friday bringing a mixture of rain, snow and strong winds.
A spell of heavy snow is likely to develop over higher ground in south Wales later on Thursday before rain turns to snow more widely over parts of England and Wales during Thursday night. In some areas, 5-10 cm of snow may settle with the potential for up to 20 cm in some locations, especially over higher ground. Strong winds may lead to some drifting of snow. Rain and snow will then clear eastwards during Friday.
This system has been named by Meteo France as the strongest winds associated with Storm Goretti are most likely over northern France.
What Should I Do?
Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, so to keep yourself and others safe: plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary; if driving, leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off; make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays (warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger).
People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.
Amber Cold Health Alert
The extended amber cold health alert is in effect from 10PM on 06/01/2026 until 12PM on 11/01/2026 across the South West. The amber alert has a matrix score of 12. See below the following snow and ice advice for what this means.
The amber cold health alert is in effect from 10AM on 06/01/2026 until 12PM on 11/01/2026 across the South West. The amber alert has a matrix score of 13. This means:
Forecast weather is expected to have severe impacts across health and social care services, including:
- 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)
You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.
How to take action if you have a duty to respond
Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.
We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, and the voluntary and community sector. Summary action cards are also available below:
- commissioners
- voluntary and community sector
- care homes and other residential settings
- services delivering care to people in their homes
- hospitals and other healthcare settings
For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.
The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, snow and ice) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.
You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.
How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable
While exposure to cold weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during cold weather.
Planning for adverse weather
All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a cold health alert is in place.
To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums
About cold health alerts
Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive cold health alerts:
- health trust providers of NHS commissioned care
- local authorities
- social care organisations
The Cold-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when low temperatures are likely to occur.
If we observe low temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary cold health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.