After a sharp frost overnight, parts of the UK are expected to be covered in dangerous “freezing fog” on Friday. The Met Office said that the fog could be so thick by Saturday morning that visibility could drop to less than 100 metres in some places.
There is a chance of ice and freezing fog in England, Wales, and the eastern part of Scotland. As clouds and spots of rain move in, the weather will get warmer in the west of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. In the far northwest, there will be strong winds.
Forecasters have issued yellow weather warning for the Midlands, Yorkshire, Cheshire, and much of the southwest and Wales between 2 am and 11 am. There will likely be delays, and surfaces that still need to be treated could become slippery.
The Met Office said, “Freezing fog is likely to form Friday night, and it will take some places until Saturday morning to clear up.” At times, the fog could be so thick that you couldn’t see more than 100 metres ahead.
“Freezing fog is more likely to last until late morning and, in some places, even into the afternoon in western England.”
Freezing fog is made up of tiny drops of water that freeze when they hit things like sidewalks, roads, or cars. This can quickly turn into ice, making the situation even more dangerous.
Forecasters tell people to stay home if they can if there is fog. The Met Office said that people who have to drive should go very slowly and turn their headlights down. This is because lights with full beams reflect off the fog, making a “white wall.”
The warning comes after some places in the UK dropped below -10C this week because of snow and ice. In the Highlands, near Inverness, the temperature in Drumnadrochit hit -10.4C early Thursday morning. This was the coldest temperature so far this year.
The heavy snowfall also forced Manchester Airport to close its runways. Trains couldn’t run in the Midlands and the north of England.
Also, three Football League games scheduled for Saturday have been moved because of the cold weather. Sky Bet League One games between Bristol Rovers and Wycombe at home and Port Vale at Morecambe have been called off because of icy fields.
“Because of the cold weather, areas of standing water have frozen, making the field unsafe,” Rovers wrote on their website.
Morecambe said their pitch could be better to play on, and since more cold weather is coming, there is little hope that it will get better. The League Two match between Doncaster and Tranmere at the Eco-Power Stadium has also been moved because of safety concerns.
