Cold mortality monitoring report, England: winter 2024 to 2025

This report outlines the first annual assessment by the UK Health Security Agency of deaths associated with cold weather in England during winter 2024 to 2025. It presents what happened, where, when, to whom, and why, drawing on statistical modelling of mortality across three defined cold episodes between November and March. The publication provides detailed breakdowns by region, age, sex, place of death and underlying cause, and explains how cold temperatures, together with seasonal illnesses such as influenza, contribute to excess mortality. 

The report recommends strengthening preparedness for cold weather by improving home insulation and heating, enhancing access to healthcare, and increasing protection against seasonal infections through vaccination. It also emphasises the need for targeted support for older adults, who experience the highest cold‑associated mortality, and for further research into regional differences in vulnerability. Lessons learned include the importance of monitoring delayed health impacts after cold episodes, integrating meteorological and health surveillance, and refining temperature thresholds to better guide public health action. These insights can inform wider disaster risk reduction efforts by supporting more resilient housing, health systems and communities in the face of increasingly variable winter conditions.