Over 55s are urged to follow the Met Office’s minimum heating rule (Image: Getty)
Everyone over the age of 55 is being urged to follow the ’s minimum heating rule as .
is warning of a “major change” in the UK weather from Thursday, when will shower much of the UK.
The says conditions will turn increasingly unsettled throughout the week, bringing strong winds and heavy downpours, and snow in northern parts of the country.
The change in conditions is being driven by weather across the Atlantic, where a large, extremely cold pool of air over parts of North America is causing low pressure systems to develop in the jet stream, which are then steered across the Atlantic towards the UK.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said: “A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday.
“Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.
“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with warnings.”
As temperatures are forecast to drop this week, people over the age of 55 are being urged to follow a minimum heating rule to stay healthy during the bout of cold weather.
Our bodies have to work much harder to stay warm as we get older, particularly from age 55 onwards, as we start to lose around 1% of muscle mass every year.
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As such, the recommends setting your heating no lower than 18C during winter in order to stay healthy.
It says: “From about the age of 55+, we lose around 1% of our muscle mass every year. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but our muscle keeps us warm.
“So it’s really important to wrap up warm when you go outside. In the home, eating at least one hot meal every day and drinking regular hot drinks helps, as does getting up and moving every now and again.
“Ideally you should heat your home to a temperature of at least 18 °C. If you’re having trouble heating your home in the winter months, Age UK might be able to help with their .”