While some studies have been carried out on the prediction of heatwaves and resulting mortality, there is relatively little work on the mortality risk associated with cold temperatures. Winter death rates have been declining overall since 1990. In this study, we detail the mechanisms of the impact of changing winter weather conditions on the human body, define the climatic variables of interest, and present appropriate models. Our discussion is organized as follows:

• How do cold temperatures affect mortality?
• Calibrating the climatic Lee-Carter model to model cold snaps
• Addressing limitations: lagged effects and infra-annual data 
• Joint effects of climate risks on mortality