Heat and cold health alerts: live status
These are the alerts that cover the effect of weather on health — issued by UKHSA with the Met Office, separately from weather warnings. You can have one without the other, and right now that difference matters.
All nine English regions were Green for both heat and cold when we last read the feed. It has not refreshed since — check UKHSA directly for today.
Source: UKHSA Weather-Health Alerting System · Open Government Licence v3.0. England only — 9 regions. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate systems.
Heat-health alerts
Heat season runs 1 June to 30 September.
Cold-health alerts
Cold season runs 1 November to 31 March. Outside that window these stay Green and the timestamp legitimately stops moving.
What each level actually means
Aimed mainly at health and social care services rather than the general public. Expect impacts on people who are already vulnerable — older people, very young children, and anyone with a heart or lung condition.
A wider impact is expected, including on people who are otherwise fit and well. Health services expect significant pressure, and the advice applies to everyone, not just vulnerable groups.
The most serious level. A risk to life is expected for the general population, not just vulnerable groups, with widespread disruption to services and infrastructure.
A Yellow alert is not a warning to the public — it is a signal to health and social care services that vulnerable people will be affected. It does not mean anything dramatic is about to happen to a healthy adult. The genuinely useful response to a Yellow heat alert is not to buy anything: it is to close the curtains on sun-facing rooms during the day and check on an older neighbour. Cooling kit is worth it when a bedroom stays hot night after night — not because an alert was issued.
Common questions
Is there a heat health alert right now?
No heat-health alerts are in force in England at the moment. Alerts are issued through the heat season, which runs from 1 June to 30 September.
Is a heat-health alert the same as a Met Office weather warning?
No, and this catches people out. Met Office weather warnings cover the weather itself — rain, wind, snow, extreme heat. UKHSA heat-health and cold-health alerts cover the expected impact on health and on the NHS, and are issued separately through a joint UKHSA/Met Office system. You can have one without the other, and often do.
What do the alert colours mean?
Green: no alert. Yellow: aimed mainly at health and social care services rather than the general public. expect impacts on people who are already vulnerable — older people, very young children, and anyone with a heart or lung condition. Amber: a wider impact is expected, including on people who are otherwise fit and well. health services expect significant pressure, and the advice applies to everyone, not just vulnerable groups. Red: the most serious level. a risk to life is expected for the general population, not just vulnerable groups, with widespread disruption to services and infrastructure.
Do these alerts cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
No. The Weather-Health Alerting System covers the nine English regions only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own arrangements, so if you are outside England this page will not describe your area.
What should I actually do during a heat-health alert?
The official advice is unglamorous and effective: keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, close curtains on sun-facing rooms during the day, drink water regularly, and check on older neighbours or anyone with a heart or lung condition. If a room you sleep in stays hot overnight, that is the one worth cooling — not the whole house.
Alerts for your region
We check this feed several times a day. Leave your email and we'll tell you when an Amber or Red alert is issued for England — not the Yellows, which are routine in season.