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Forecasters
warning temperatures could drop to -15C by December
UPDATED:
Britain faces an abrupt end to a
remarkably warm autumn with temperatures plummeting towards Siberian levels,
forecasters are warning. The
unusually mild weather is about to give way to a freezing winter, as
thermometers dip well below zero within a fortnight. And
the country will be coping with -15C cold by December, according to experts,
who have warned that the weather could be as brutal as last year.
Big freeze: Last year's snowy weather plunged
the country into chaos
Snow could hit the country even earlier
than it did then, when the big freeze at the end of November sent Britain into
chaos, blocking roads, causing accidents and burying houses.
Some
forecasters fear that temperatures could plunge as low as the -20C recorded a
year ago, or even lower, according to the Daily Express.
More...
Jonathan
Powell of Positive Weather Solutions said: 'It will not be as sustained as last
year, but these episodes are expected to be severe, with Siberian
temperatures.'
The
warnings came as the Government announced the Met Office will send out extreme
weather alerts this year to the NHS, social services and other agencies in a
bid to cut the 25,000 extra deaths caused by winter in the UK.
Forecaster
Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook, told the newspaper: 'There are signs of a
significant change in the mild weather in mid-November.
The Government has
vowed to be more prepared for extreme conditions this year
'The current mild
weather is caused by a high-pressure block to our east, keeping us under a
south-westerly flow of Atlantic air.
'But it looks as though high pressure
could move further north west, allowing much colder air to filter across the UK
from the north or east, with the risk of snow increasing.'
James Madden, of Exacta Weather, warned
that this winter would be 'very cold and snowy across many parts of the UK'.
He said there would be 'frequent and
widespread heavy snowfalls during November to January across many parts of the
UK and Ireland, with below-average temperatures'.
The Government is bringing in new winter
alerts will come in the form of four possible warnings, depending on the
severity of the conditions predicted by the Met Office.
Level One will initiate long-term planning, Level Two will indicate a 60 per cent risk of extreme cold for 48 hours, Level Three means severe weather is expected to impact on health and Level Four is a 'major cold weather incident'.
Previously local areas were left to decide
how to react to cold snaps, but the Government has now introduced a Cold
Weather Plan.
It also contains advice for individuals
and carers, such as making sure at-risk groups get vaccinated against flu and
keep their homes heated.
A minimum of 21C is being recommended during the day
and 16C at night.
It will not be as sustained as last year, but these episodes are
expected to be severe, with Siberian temperatures.
- JONATHAN POWELL POSITIVE WEATHER SOLUTIONS
Below that, the risk of heart
problems, strokes and respiratory illness increases.
Health Secretary
Andrew Lansley said: 'Older people and those with long-term illnesses are
particularly vulnerable to the cold and we need to be aware – within families,
in communities and across the NHS – of how we can help others.'
'Every year,
there is a 20 per cent increase in deaths in the winter in England. By working
together, this coordinated plan will help protect those most in need. We are
determined to do all we can to achieve this.'
Michelle
Mitchell, charity director at Age UK said: 'The coalition Government has set a
new emphasis on public health as one of its key objectives, and this Cold
Weather Plan is a very important step in the right direction.
'Age UK will be
building on this with its own winter campaign to help vulnerable older people
live well through the cold months of the year.'
The Met Office
said: 'Our excess winter mortality, of an average 25,000 extra deaths in winter
compared to other months of the year – 80 per cent thought to be due to the
cold – is very poor compared to other countries in Europe.
'The aim of the
cold weather alerts is to reduce winter mortality by allowing action to be
taken, helping people and patients reduce the risks of cold weather.'
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