UK weather: Freezing fog warning issued amid fears of travel chaos

Weather fronts have triggered Met Office yellow weather warnings

A man walks with an umbrella during wet weather on the Embankment in Westminster, on Tuesday 11 January 2022 (PA)

Stubborn fog could disrupt travel plans in parts of the UK this week, according to the latest weather forecast.

Most of the south of the country woke up on Tuesday to misty grey skies and drizzle.

Forecaster Met Office has put a yellow weather warning in place for the coming days for areas including those just outside of the M25, the Midlands, the southwest of England, the east of England, and southern Wales.

Cities and towns expected to be affected include Bath, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Gloucester, Ipswich, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, St Albans, Taunton and Worcester.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, daytime fog is forecast to clear and then return at night, which could pose some safety risks and delays for motorists and passengers on public transport.

The Met Office has said that the fog means “slower journey times with delays to bus and train services possible” and a “chance of delays or cancellations to flights”.

Airports that could be affected areas include London Stansted and Birmingham.

While the south will see persistent “dull” and “drab” cloud cover with stretches of drizzle, the north is largely set to be brighter and warmer, the Met Office said.

Forecaster Alex Deakin said that the cloud will not be quick to fade in the south and that the weather fronts will be “dragging their heels”.

He said: “In Scotland and Northern Ireland there’s a hint of blue on the charts – and so certainly in rural areas and hills there will be pockets of frost.

“Most towns and cities just about staying above [zero] – but we are in the colder air here.”

“Further south with the cloud and the rain we are a long way from freezing with towns in the southwest perhaps staying in double digits.”

Mr Deakin added: “Temperatures will tumble on Tuesday evening, so again that blue hue on the charts suggesting frost before midnight in the Midlands, South Wales and further south will see a frost developing and some fog patches which could be slow to clear on Wednesday.”

For Thursday to Saturday, the Met Office has forecast that it will get “colder in the south with fog and low cloud becoming more widespread and stubborn to clear”, while it will be “milder further north with rain and stronger winds at first”.