Sheffield weather: Forecast and how cold it needs to be to get £25 cold weather payment as temperatures drop
Watch the Met Office forecast for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The UK is set to see a cold start to 2026, with arctic air and strong northerly winds to bring cold or very cold conditions - with snow to fall in some places.
Mark Sidaway, Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, said: “It certainly looks like we are in for a taste of ‘winter’ as we welcome in the New Year, initially in the north, but more widely across the UK for the first week of 2026.
“Arctic air and strong northerly winds will bring cold or very cold conditions to all parts of the UK, and it will feel especially cold in the strong winds. Widespread and locally severe frosts are expected, along with the first snow of the winter for many.
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“A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for northern Scotland on New Year’s Day and beyond, where frequent and heavy snow showers may lead to some travel disruption.
“These colder conditions and wintry hazards - snow, ice and strong winds - will develop more widely as we enter the New Year, with more warnings for snow and ice likely. It looks like this cold spell will last through at least the first week of January, so it’s important people keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings.”
With temperatures forecast to dip, we’ve taken a look at who is eligible for £25 cold weather payments, including how cold it has to be in your area.
What are cold weather payments?
The cold weather payment is a £25 benefit top-up to help with fuel costs when temperatures are low.
Who is eligible for a cold weather payment?
People are eligible for the cold weather payment if they receive any of the below:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
How cold does it need to be to receive a cold weather payment?
You must also live in an area which has experienced seven days of zero or below zero temperatures (or forecast to be below freezing for seven days in a row).
When will I receive the cold weather payment?
Those eligible for a cold weather payment will get the payment automatically. It should arrive within 14 working days of the cold period, in the same bank account you receive benefit payments.
Met Office long-range forecast
January 3 to January 12
“Northerly winds will bring a spell of very cold, wintry conditions to much of if not all of the UK through at least the early part of this period. These will bring snow showers to areas that are exposed to onshore winds. Subtle day-to-day changes in wind direction will change the places most exposed to the showers, but where they occur some significant accumulations of snow are likely. There are likely to be some more coherent bands of sleet and snow working south, and these may bring a risk of more prolonged and widespread wintry precipitation affecting some inland areas. Things become less certain by the second week of January, however it's possible the cold conditions may persist with an ongoing risk of winter hazards across much of the UK.”
January 13 to January 27
“High pressure will probably be close to the UK at the start of this period, perhaps most likely centered to the west, and whilst this may allow relatively settled and dry conditions with a risk of frost and fog initially, there will be the chance of some occasional wet weather at times, perhaps more especially in the north and east. Given some relatively cold air close to the UK, this may bring the chance of some wintry hazards in places. Towards mid-month, there is the potential for rather more changeable conditions to develop more widely, although confidence in this aspect of the forecast is currently low.”
Yellow cold health alert issued for Yorkshire and The Humber
The UKHSA yellow cold health alert is in place for Yorkshire and The Humber until 12:00 on January 5.
The alert reads: “There is potential for significant impacts across health and social care services, including: a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups, a likely increase in demand for health services, impacts on the workforce affecting delivery of services and challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people.”