Weather patterns and all-cause mortality in England, UK

Abstract

Cold- and heat-related mortality poses significant public health concerns worldwide. Although there are numerous studies dealing with the association between extreme ambient temperature and mortality, only a small number adopt a synoptic climatological approach in order to understand the nature of weather systems that precipitate increases in cold- or heat-related mortality. In this paper, the Lamb Weather Type synoptic classification is used to examine the relationship between daily mortality and weather patterns across nine regions of England. Analysis results revealed that the population in England is more susceptible to cold weather. Furthermore, it was found that the Easterly weather types are the most hazardous for public health all-year-long; however, during the cold period, the results are more evident and spatially homogenous. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the most dangerous weather conditions are not always associated with extreme (high or low) temperatures, a finding which points to the complexity of weather-related health effects and highlights the importance of a synoptic climatological approach in elucidating the relationship between temperature and mortality.