The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for freezing fog across East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex with visibility dropping below 100m and potential flight cancellations.
Britons in four regions have been warned that flights could face cancellation as the Met Office issues a weather alert.
December has kicked off with a soggy start for many parts of the country, bringing heavy downpours and even prompting the Met Office to issue an amber warning for rain on Monday. Meanwhile, temperatures are dropping below freezing across various parts of the UK.
The Met Office has now issued a yellow weather warning for fog across southern England. The national weather service warns that the fog could cause travel chaos – including flight cancellations – with visibility dropping below 100m, reports the Mirror.
The affected areas include East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. The area covered by the alert on the map includes Gatwick Airport.
Met Office fog warning – what to expect
The warning explains: “Freezing fog is expected to develop across parts of southeast England on Thursday night before clearing on Friday morning. Visibility could fall below 100 metres in places. Additionally, following rainfall during Thursday daytime, a few patches of ice could form on untreated surfaces.
“Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, leaving extra journey time, or amending plans if necessary. Make sure you know how to switch on your fog lights, and check they are working before setting off on your journey.
“Bus and train services, as well as flights may also be affected; check for updates from your travel company and follow their advice.”
Overnight temperatures are set to plummet to their lowest levels across southern England and Wales, where they could drop to -1C, whilst the entire country braces for bitter conditions.
The Met Office prediction states: “As the sun sets, temperatures will fall away sharply into Thursday night, particularly in the southeast of England, where patches of ice and fog could develop overnight. Friday will see further rain, coupled with strong gusty winds, moving in from the southwest and spreading across the country through the day.”
Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert added: “The UK will see further unsettled weather through the weekend and into next week. After a chilly start with the chance of some icy patches and fog in the southeast of England, wind and rain will move across the UK through Friday. It’ll be an unpleasant evening rush hour so do leave extra time if you’re out on the roads.
“The highest rainfall totals from Friday into Saturday will be over high ground in south Wales, southwest England, Cumbria, southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland. 20-30 mm of rain is likely in these areas, most of which will fall in around 6-9 hours. Given how wet it has already been, the additional rainfall, especially in western areas, could lead to localised flooding and travel disruption.”
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