Visibility will fall below 100 metres today, the Met Office says as it issues two weather warnings for fog across the UK, the thickest of which will be across the East of England
Some parts of the UK will be shrouded in a thick fog all day today, the Met Office says.
Two weather warnings for the gloomy conditions have been issued by the meteorological service. Temperatures have plunged overnight and daytime lows of 1C are anticipated across the country today.
The change means a blanket of fog will envelope the country and driving conditions will be hazardous during morning rush hour. Flights to and from some airports may be delayed or even cancelled as visibility will fall below 100 metres, forecasters say.
Speaking in a YouTube video on Wednesday, the Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “We’re going to have some clear skies as we go through the rest of Wednesday and overnight into Thursday. At this time of year with clear skies and some chillier air coming in, that means we’re going to see our temperatures dropping and so, first thing on Thursday morning we do need to watch out for some frost, some fog and even some freezing fog patches in some places too. Some fog could linger through much of the day towards eastern parts of England.”
Temperatures are likely to linger between 1C and 3C even at around midday today. The coldest spots – barely above freezing – are expected to be across the Scottish Borders and the Highlands, though it’ll be a bitter 3C across the Midlands, say forecasters.
The most stubborn of the fog, unlikely to clear at all throughout today, is expected across Norfolk and Lincolnshire. However, it is likely to be the thickest across the Home Counties earlier in the day. The weather warning concerns parts of these areas, including Hampshire in the south and Buckinghamshire in the north.
But it extends to parts of the Midlands, Merseyside and Lancashire, where the fog should clear during rush hour. Nevertheless, drivers should take extra care making journeys in the morning, the Met Office stresses.
“It will make for difficult driving conditions and may also lead to disruption of public transport. With temperatures close to, and in places below freezing, icy patches in freezing fog will be an additional hazard,” the Met Office said.
Airports across the Home Counties, the Midlands and parts of Northwest of England are on high alert but it’s feared the three airports in Northern Ireland – including two serving Belfast – will be worst affected by the fog. Northern Ireland’s weather warning, which doesn’t expire until 8am, is in place as the country has been shrouded in a persistent blanket of fog for most of Wednesday night.
“Areas of fog on Wednesday evening will become more extensive overnight, resulting in difficult driving conditions,” the Met Office’s warning reads. It says journeys across Northern Ireland, especially on public transport, will be slower than normal on Thursday and delays are likely.
