Cold weather surveillance reports show impact on older people and women
Published on: 26 May 2026
The first annual surveillance report on the impact of cold weather on mortality and morbidity in Wales shows that there were around six more deaths per day on cold days, compared to non-cold days in the winter of 2024-25, and that people aged 85 and over and women were more affected.
The narrative report, which is designed to be the first in an ongoing monitoring of the impact of cold weather on morbidity and mortality in Wales, shows the timings of deaths only, and does not prove that the cold weather directly caused the deaths.
The greatest number of deaths in cold periods was in those aged 85 and over, and after age standardisation, the daily mortality rate in women was higher on cold days compared to non-cold days. There was no clear difference in the male mortality rate.
The winter of 2024-25 was not unusual in the number of deaths overall, compared to recent years. The report categorises a ‘cold period’ as when the mean temperature was 2°C or under for at least two consecutive days, and there were 78 days through the winter that met this threshold.
Dr Behrooz Behbod, Consultant Epidemiologist, said: “This is the first in this series of reports which looks at the public health impact of cold weather, in the context of climate change.
“While the winter of 2024-25 was marginally milder than the climatological baseline built up over 1991-2020, it is important to look at the impact of cold snaps on more vulnerable populations.
“This report is a starting point for further work in this area. It is designed to be a narrative report, and does not show cause and effect or compare groups with each other. The report does not measure housing conditions, indoor temperatures, or fuel poverty, cold homes or indoor exposures. In addition, ethnicity data was not included in this year’s report, and we recommend that it is considered in future versions.”