Households issued ‘thin clothing rule’ for going outside in January

Amber cold health alerts are in force across England until January 6 (Image: Getty)

Households across the UK are being urged to follow a ‘thin clothing’ rule this January to protect against very cold weather. Arctic air has brought bitterly cold conditions to the UK to kick off the new year, with multiple amber and yellow weather warnings issued across the country. An amber warning for snow is in force from 6pm on Sunday until 10am on Monday for large parts of nothern and eastern Scotland, with the Met Office forecasting up to 10cm of snow fairly widley and up to 30cm over mainland Scotland.

Elsewhere, several yellow warnings for snow and ice cover parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and central and southern England from Sunday until Tuesday, with households warned to brace for freezing temperatures, widespread frost, ice and possible snow showers. The weather warnings coincide with an amber cold health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covering all areas of England until January 6.

Households are being urged to take precautions as the cold weather sets in, particularly those aged over 55 as colder temperatures can become harder on the body as we get older, meaning our bodies have to work harder to stay warm.

A key way to do this is simply to follow a ‘thin clothing’ rule when temperatures plummet, which means wearing several layers of light clothes, rather than one thick layer.

According to the Met Office, wearing multiple thin layers of clothes will actually help to keep you warmer in cold conditions as heat is trapped between the layers, making you feel much more insulated against the elements.

Experts also recommend staying active and going outside for a walk, even if the weather is cold, and if you can't get out, then you should make sure to get up and move around at least once every hour.

In its cold weather advice, the Met Office said: "With many of us having to spend more time at home it can make it harder to keep active. It’s important to continue to do what you can to stay active as this can help with both your physical and mental health.

"Try to keep moving when you are indoors, try not to sit still for more than an hour or so. Break up your time spent being inactive by walking around your home or standing up from your chair when you are on the phone.

"If you are heading outside for a walk or maybe some gardening, wear several layers of light clothes. Remember that several thin layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thick layer as the layers trap warm air.

"It doesn’t matter what you do to keep active, as long as it’s something you enjoy and keeps you moving. There is strong evidence that people who are active have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, depression and can also reduce the risk of falling."

The Met Office is also advising households to keep up to date with weather warnings as conditions can change quickly, and to prepare for snowy and icy weather by gathering some essential items at home in case of power cuts.

This includes gathering items like torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack, blankets, warm clothing and essentil food items, such as bread, bottled water, milk, tinned goods, cereal, snack foods and dried pasta.

The cold weather is forecast to continue across the UK into next week, which means more warnings over the coming days are likely.

Matthew Lehnert is a Met Office Chief Meteorologist. He said: “As we begin the first full working week of the year, we face a range of winter weather hazards with snow showers and ice.

“In the north of Scotland, snow showers are expected to become more frequent on Sunday night with some locations within the Amber warning areas seeing a further 20-30 cm accumulate by Monday morning.

“Elsewhere in the UK, snow showers, ice and frost are expected at times but milder air will make attempts to spread eastward from Tuesday. This will mean rain becomes more likely in the south, but there is also the possibility of more organised snow along the boundary of the mild and cold airmasses. Strong winds could also be a feature later in the week.”