A new study has warned that cold weather can increase the risk of stroke by up to 30 per cent.
Sudden drops in temperature can lead to a serious increase in the risk of potentially-deadly brain clots.
Scientists claim that for every 2.9C (5.2F) decline in outside air temperature over a 24-hour period, the number of strokes in the general population goes up by 11 per cent.
Researchers studied almost 1,700 patients who were admitted to hospital with a stroke between 2003 and 2010 in the town of Jena, Germany.
The study was published in the European Journal of Epidemiology.