Cold weather alert issued

[Cookham Webmaster]

The Met Office and UKHSA are warning that all regions of England will experience cold weather from 1am on Monday to midnight on Wednesday. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “During periods like this, it is important to check in on family, friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold weather, as it can have a serious impact on health.

“If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over the age of 65, it is important to try and heat your home to at least 18C if you can.”

Chris Almond, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Although we’ve moved into meteorological spring there will be a distinctly wintry feel to our weather next week. Very cold air will spread across the UK bringing snow showers even to sea level in the north on Monday and these snow showers could spread further south on Tuesday.

[Cookham Webmaster]

The Met Office has issued a 13-hour yellow weather warning as ice and snow look set to hit the UK. Berkshire is among the areas that come under the boundaries of the warning.

The yellow warning will come into force at 9pm tonight (March 6) and will stay in effect until 10am on Tuesday morning (March 7). The entirety of Berkshire is covered by the warning which also affects neighbouring counties such as Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

[Cookham Webmaster]

The Met Office has forecast more snow for large parts of Berkshire on Wednesday (March . Parts of the county have already been blanketed after snowfall throughout the night and into this morning.

The Met Office had previously issued a weather warning for snow and ice which remains in place until 7am on Thursday (March 9). Schools and transport links are among the services to have been impacted by the snowfall


Some bus routes had to be cancelled in parts of the UK whilst many schools have fully or partially closed for the day due to the conditions. Whilst some parts of Berkshire are forecast more snow, rain and sleet may hit other areas causing slippery and icy surfaces.

[Cookham Webmaster]

The Met Office has warned there is a "risk" of more snow coming to Berkshire later this month. This follows parts of county waking up to blankets of snow yesterday following wintry showers overnight.

Despite temperatures slowly rising as we move closer to spring, the Met Office weather outlook states there is a "low risk" of snow towards the end of March and early April. This comes as periods of rain and strong winds are expected across southern England as the season changes.

[Cookham Webmaster]

Cold weather alert extended to next week

The Met Office has extended the Level 3 Cold Weather Alert to 9am next Monday (13 March).

This means there’s a 90% chance of severe cold, ice and snow across our region until that time. Please check on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours if you can.

We’ve triggered our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), meaning we are providing emergency shelter to anyone found sleeping rough in the borough, irrespective of local connection and current circumstances.

Our gritters are also out treating roads across the borough and will continue to do so when freezing road temperatures are forecast. Check out our Winter Services video to learn more. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=905210010448720

For more advice on keeping healthy during cold weather visit the NHS website. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/keep-warm-keep-well/