Met Office issues cold weather amber warning with temperatures set to plummet in Northamptonshire this week

Northamptonshire folk are being warned to brace themselves for an Arctic freeze as temperatures tumble this week.

The Met Office issued a Cold Weather Level Three Amber Alert for the East Midlands active between 6pm on Wednesday (December 7) 9pm on Monday (December 12). Local forecasters @NNweather say winter will kick in with a vengeance and thermometers could see MINUS SEVEN by Friday (December 9) with sharp frosts and icy roads.

They said: "Arctic air will arrive over the county during the week ahead leading and it will turn bitterly cold by the end of the week ahead with even daytime temperatures struggling to get much above freezing. Some sharp overnight frosts likely by Wednesday night and becoming widespread through the coming week with minus-7°C possible by Friday morning in rural parts of the county.”

But, despite grim warnings elsewhere, particularly further north, @NNweather added: "It’s too early to talk about the chance of snow in the county at the present time."

Gritters have already been out on the county roads for the first time this winter but coverage is likely to be ramped up as Met Office weather charts predict temperatures dropping below freezing from around midnight on Tuesday.

Amber cold weather alerts are only triggered by Met Office experts when weather is expected to breach certain thresholds and require social and healthcare services to support high-risk groups.

A Met Office spokesman said: “There is a 90 percent probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services as air from the Arctic spreads south across the country. Very cold nights are expected, with widespread frosts and potentially severe frosts. Daytime temperatures persisting near or just above freezing, with overnight temperatures continuing to trend downwards.

"Our advice is to look out for friends and family who may be vulnerable to the cold, and ensure they have access to warm food and drinks and are managing to heat their homes adequately.”

■ This article has been updated to include the Met Office cold weather alert issued on Monday (December 5)