UK weather – Met Office issues yellow warnings as visibility plunges below 100 metres & more freezing fog forecast
THE Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for fog, this evening and they cover parts of central and southern England until tomorrow morning.
The warning is for west Midlands, south west England as well as London and south east England and is set to last until 11am tomorrow.
The majority of the UK had been blanketed in “dense” fog, causing visibility to drop to less than 100 meters, the Met Office warned.
Ahead of the warning, the Met Office has advised people to expect slower journey times – with the possibility of delays to bus and train services, and delays or cancellations to flights.
The Met Office have also said that 'there are also areas of low cloud affecting parts of the UK' this morning.
Read our weather live blog for the latest news and forecasts
- Louis Allwood
Winter warmers
Nike Tech Gloves – For those who like a bit of sports branding with their gloves, Nike’s grey tech gloves are a must.
With a stylish three-tone knitted fabric — ideal for the cold weather — these feature touch-screen compatible thumb and fingers, as well as a silicone grip pattern on the palms and fingers which will help you keep hold of your phone.
And with Nike’s unmistakable ‘swoosh’ detail, they’re an ideal gift for sports fans.
The North Face Men’s Denali Etip Gloves – The North Face is a go-to brand for cold-weather gear, so you can always trust that its gloves will deliver.
Inspired by the classic Denali Jacket from 1989, these Etip gloves are crafted from the same moisture-wicking soft fleece, with a silicone gripper and conductive technology in the palms to enable you to use your phone.
With five-finger touchscreen capabilities, these are ideal for ‘proper’ scrolling — and the fleece is 100% recycled, making them a greener choice too.
- Louis Allwood
Frost and Fog due to set in this week
Frost and fog is set for the latter end of the week, with freezing fog rolling across England and Wales, a spokesperson for The Met Office said.
The forecaster told The Sun: “We’ve seen pretty much an average start to the month in terms of rainfall, we’re running at about 30 per cent of the average rainfall – we would usually expect to be at that value.
“But high pressure building and fog will be the main problem.
“It looks quite nice around the middle of the week, and Wednesday could be quite sunny – but there is an increasing risk developing of freezing fog on Thursday and Friday.”
- Louis Allwood
Australia hits unimaginable temperatures
Onslow in Western Australia reached 50.7 Celsius today the Met Office have revealed which if verified would make it the hottest day on record in Australia.
Unfortunately Brits are not so lucky with temperatures currently around 7 degrees in London.
- Louis Allwood
Manchester weather forecast for today
A cold, grey start with some dense fog patches in places, especially in the south.
The fog will lift to leave a fine day with some sunshine, although patchy low cloud will continue to bring foggy conditions over high ground. Maximum temperature 7 °C.
Dry this evening and overnight with some clear spells, but with patchy low cloud over the hills.
Skies remain clear as it will become frosty with patchy fog by the morning. Minimum temperature -2 °C.
- Louis Allwood
Struggling this winter?
Winter fuel payments might be the answer.
If you are a pensioner, you could get a winter fuel payment from the government of between £100 and £300.
To qualify, you'll must have been born on or before September 26, 1955 and the date for this changes every year.
Plus, you must also have lived in the UK for at least one day during the "qualifying week" which is September 20 to 26, 2021.
- Louis Allwood
UK weather outlook for Friday and Saturday
Dry for much of the UK on Friday, but parts of northern and western Scotland will have patchy rain.
Spells of sunshine in places, but areas of low cloud and fog may linger, and are likely to be more extensive that on Thursday.
Dry for much of the UK on Saturday too, but with a fair amount of cloud.
- Louis Allwood
Forecast for January 27 – February 10
This period is likely to see a gradual transition to more unsettled conditions.
Heaviest precipitation is likely to occur across the northwest, particularly later in the period, whilst drier than average conditions are more likely to affect the southeast, particularly earlier in the period.
Spells of strong wind are likely, particularly in the north. Temperatures likely to be slightly above average overall.
Some colder interludes are still expected though, bringing a risk of occasional snow, most likely over northern hills.
- Louis Allwood
Forecast for January 12-21
High pressure is expected across southern and central parts of the UK at the start of this period, bringing settled conditions and light winds, though it’s likely to be rather cloudy in some areas.
Temperatures will be generally around average, but there is a risk of some colder nights with local frost and fog.
Spells of rain, drizzle and stronger winds are likely further north, with temperatures near to or slightly above average here.
Confidence decreases through the period, but a return to generally more unsettled conditions across the UK is likely later on, with western and northwestern parts expected to continue to see the wettest and windiest weather.
Temperatures likely to remain around average.
- Louis Allwood
Frosty start for Cardiff
The Met Office weather forecast for Cradiff predicts the fog will slowly drift leaving sunny skies for the majority.
The Met Office said "A cold and frosty start with some dense fog patches in places.
"The fog will lift slowly during the morning leaving sunny skies, however some places may stay chilly and misty even into the afternoon.
"Maximum temperature 9 °C."
- Louis Allwood
UK outlook for today and this evening
Fog patches over England and Wales clearing this morning, though the odd patch could linger through the day in parts of the southwest.
Cloudier further N and breezy with some rain or drizzle at times.
Fog forming Thursday evening in south, spreading up into parts of the Midlands overnight.
Cloudier and milder further north with some rain in far north but winds easing.
- Louis Allwood
Advice for drivers whilst travelling in the fog
- Avoid travel if possible
- Drive very slowly with dipped headlights, full-beam lights reflect off the fog causing a ‘white wall’ effect
- Keep an eye on your speed, fog can give the illusion of moving in slow motion
- Use fog lights, but remember to turn them off when the visibility improves
- Don’t hang on the tail lights of the car in front, rear lights can give a false sense of security
- Watch out for freezing fog which is made of water droplets that freeze on contact with objects such as the pavement, road, car, etc. It can quickly form a layer of ice.
What to expect from the fog
The Met Office have said to expect:
- Slower journey times with delays to bus and train services possible.
- Difficult driving conditions with rapid changes to the visibility along routes possible.
- There is a chance of delays or cancellations to flights.
Multiple yellow warnings for fog this morning
The Met Office have issued multiple yellow fog warnings for this morning with drivers warned to stay safe.
The warnings are in place over Birmingham, Bath and Brighton and will remain up until 11am.
Temperatures expected to plummet this week
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Rudman said: "Temperatures in central and southern England are expected to trend downwards from Thursday, with overnight minimum temperatures possibly getting to -4 °C in some rural areas, but widespread below-freezing conditions elsewhere overnight in the following days.
"This will result in some harsh frosts and possible freezing fog in some places.
"Temperatures will stay subdued through the next few days from Thursday in the alerted areas, with highs likely to remain in the mid-to-low single figures through the weekend, especially in places where any fog or low cloud lingers throughout the day."
A gigantic blanket of fog is expected to hit East and West Midlands, London, East Wales, the South East and East of England with sunny conditions expected for southern and central areas by Wednesday midday.
Weather for today
Much of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be dry tomorrow with bright or sunny spells.
However, a few areas of fog may linger in places, especially across southern and central England.
Cloudier for Scotland with patchy rain in the west. Winds will be light for most, breezier in Scotland.
- Milica Cosic
Why flight delays are more likely in winter
The Met Office says: “Fog, snow, ice and crosswinds mean that air traffic controllers have to increase the gap between planes that are landing, reducing the number of aircraft that an airport can manage.
“The same weather can make it slower and more difficult for the planes to taxi between runway and terminal building. As many commercial flights are cruising more than five miles above the ground, they can be affected by different weather than we are experiencing on the ground.
Safety is always the first consideration for the aviation industry. An aircraft that’s stood overnight in freezing weather will need de-icing before its first flight in the morning.
“That’s a fairly big task for one plane but imagine the task at Heathrow on a snowy January morning. At the same time there are miles of taxiways and runways to clear.
“Then think about the people who do this work getting to the airport – the same snow and ice are probably affecting the roads and railways."
- Milica Cosic
Late January to early February forecast
Conditions expected to remain broadly unsettled and changeable through this period with occasional spells of wet and windy weather moving across from the Atlantic.
Western and northwestern parts likely to see the wettest and windiest conditions overall whilst eastern and southeastern parts probably seeing the most of any drier spells.
Temperatures likely to be slightly above average overall throughout but there remains a possibility of short-lived colder spells.
Colder spells likely to bring a risk of snow at times, though mostly over high ground in the north.
- Milica Cosic
This month will see drop in temperatures, says Met Office expert
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the average temperature in December and the beginning of January is usually around 7C or 8C, with the warmer weather due to a south-westerly wind making its way across the country.
The higher temperatures are usually localised, but “plenty of places” have seen highs of 15C over December.
However, he added that January could see a drop in temperatures because of an Arctic chill sweeping through from next week.
- Milica Cosic
UK weather outlook for Friday and Saturday
Dry for much of the UK on Friday, but parts of northern and western Scotland will have patchy rain.
Spells of sunshine in places, but areas of low cloud and fog may linger, and are likely to be more extensive that on Thursday.
Dry for much of the UK on Saturday too, but with a fair amount of cloud.
- Milica Cosic
Level 2 cold warning
A 'LEVEL 2' cold alert warning has been issued for parts of Britain while flights could be cancelled as thick fog sets in.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the level 2 alert on Tuesday while asking people to "look out for those most at risk" from the effects of cold weather.
Forecasters said this could see "slower journey times" to bus and train services and "delays or cancellations to flights".
Experts have advised Brits to look after those most vulnerable to the cold.
- Milica Cosic
Advice for drivers whilst travelling in the fog
- Avoid travel if possible
- Drive very slowly with dipped headlights, full-beam lights reflect off the fog causing a ‘white wall’ effect
- Keep an eye on your speed, fog can give the illusion of moving in slow motion
- Use fog lights, but remember to turn them off when the visibility improves
- Don’t hang on the tail lights of the car in front, rear lights can give a false sense of security
- Watch out for freezing fog which is made of water droplets that freeze on contact with objects such as the pavement, road, car, etc. It can quickly form a layer of ice.
- Milica Cosic
Met Office: Freezing conditions to come round quickly
The Met Office said conditions are surprisingly mild for the time of year but that Brits should expect freezing conditions to come around very quickly.
Met Office forecasters are predicting dull and dreary days before the brutal drop in temperature heading into next week, with London temperatures lower than Scotland.
While mild spots are expected across the UK, with London and Edinburgh peaking at 10C, the sudden plummet will leave people feeling frosty this weekend.
But the big freeze will hit the whole of the UK from Wednesday onwards with temperatures dropping as low as 0C in London.
- Milica Cosic
£100 for not wearing correct shoes whilst driving in the winter
Thicker boots may keep your feet warm in the snow but they could get you into trouble and you with a heavy fine if you drive in them.
While wearing inappropriate shoes to drive isn’t technically illegal, careless driving due to unsuitable footwear can get you into trouble.
Rule 97 of the Highway Code states that before heading off on a drive, you must ensure that “clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in a correct manner”.
If you are stopped by the police for careless driving and they decide your footwear caused the problem, you can face up to a £100 on-the-spot fine plus penalty points on your licence.
If you do need heavier boots for snow or cold weather conditions when you’re out and about, it’s best to take an additional, safer pair of shoes to drive in too.
- Milica Cosic
What can happen in an Arctic Blast?
When temperatures are below freezing and wind chills plunging to 35 degrees below zero during an Arctic Blast travel is very dangerous.
Freezing rain, sleet, and black ice can occur when this weather occurrence strikes.
When this winter blast occurs it often brings record-breaking cold fronts and snowfall with it.
Prior to an Arctic Blast below are some things to do in order to prepare:
- Schedule a furnace inspection to ensure your heat system will work
- Fix up drafty areas in your home
- Close your curtains
- Prepare for a power outage
- Ensure your pets have their food, medications, and whatever else they might need
Frost and Fog due to set in this week
Frost and fog is set for the latter end of the week, with freezing fog rolling across England and Wales, a spokesperson for The Met Office said.
The forecaster told The Sun: “We’ve seen pretty much an average start to the month in terms of rainfall, we’re running at about 30 per cent of the average rainfall – we would usually expect to be at that value.
“But high pressure building and fog will be the main problem.
“It looks quite nice around the middle of the week, and Wednesday could be quite sunny – but there is an increasing risk developing of freezing fog on Thursday and Friday.”
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