Cold weather alert issued for East Midlands as Met Office warns of 'significant snow'

A four-day cold weather warning has been issued for the East Midlands with forecasters also hinting the first snow of the season could be on the way. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of a 'greater risk to life of vulnerable people' and an increased use of healthcare services with temperatures expected to plummet.

The cold weather alert is valid from 9pm on Sunday, November 17 until 9am on Thursday, November 21. The Met Office says that although snowfall is most likely to stick to higher ground initially, "widespread snowfall across lower ground" is possible in the days ahead.

The Weather Channel and AccuWeather are both predicting snow in the East Midlands on Tuesday (November 19). Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: "A notable early winter cold spell will arrive across the north from Sunday and will likely reach all parts of the UK by midweek. Temperatures will drop as a northerly airflow develops, bringing in colder Arctic air.

"This introduces the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the north from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard. There is a lot of uncertainty in what might happen after Sunday, but there are a number of scenarios which could bring some more widespread rain, along with some hill snow and stronger winds.

"It is possible that there may be some more widespread snowfall across lower ground, but the chance of this for any given region is low at this stage. What we do know is that the whole of the UK is likely to experience a spell of several days of cold, potentially disruptive weather next week."

The UKHSA said there was also a 40 per cent chance of temperatures of 2C or below for 48 hours or more across the East Midlands. It said there was also a possibility of Cold Weather Payments being triggered in the coming days.

Cold Weather Payments are paid if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days. People on certain benefits get £25 for each seven-day day period of very cold weather between November 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.

In a statement, the UKHSA and Met Office said: "The most likely scenario is that an area of low pressure will cross central UK, with snow falling where rain meets colder air in the north. This could lead to significant snow in northern England and southern Scotland, particularly over the Pennines, Lake District, and North York Moors on Monday and into Tuesday.

"Confidence improves slightly from Wednesday, with generally cold northerly winds and wintry showers mainly affecting windward coasts. Despite the uncertainty in snowfall, temperatures are expected to be below average across much of the UK, potentially lasting well into the following week. Combined with often breezy conditions, feeling noticeably cold.

"The CHA Low temperature threshold is likely to be breached in the Northeast, Northwest, Yorkshire, and Humber from Sunday 17th to Thursday 21th, extending to the West Midlands and East Midlands by Wednesday, and possibly to all regions. There is also the possibility that the cold spell will last for more than 5 days, bringing a risk of Medium temperature thresholds being reached."