Met Office issues fog warning for parts of England as driving conditions turn hazardous
Yellow severe weather warning covers Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, the Home Counties and parts of Greater London, with visibility dropping below 100 metres at times.
At a glance
- The Met Office issued a yellow fog warning for Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, the Home Counties and parts of Greater London on Friday.
- Visibility is below 100 metres in places, with the fog most disruptive during the morning rush hour.
- 82% of England remains in drought status, and the Environment Agency says 20% more rain than average is needed over six months.
Thick fog formed across parts of the United Kingdom on Friday morning, prompting the Met Office to issue a yellow severe weather warning for fog. The warning covers an area from Lincolnshire and the East Midlands through the Home Counties into parts of Greater London, and forecasters warn it could lead to hazardous driving conditions.
Visibility will be below 100 metres in places, with the fog at its most extensive and disruptive during the morning rush hour. It is expected to thin, lift and clear slowly later in the morning, though some rural spots in eastern England may remain foggy until the afternoon.
Weekend outlook and drier spell
Early mist and fog patches on Saturday may rise into low cloud that could linger all day. Many areas will stay dry with spells of sunshine, but north-west Scotland will see thicker cloud and rain for a time from a weak weather front. Temperatures will be close to average and similar to recent days.
By Sunday, the dying front will bring thicker cloud to Wales and central England, with a few patches of light rain or drizzle possible. The rest of the UK should have a dry day with variable cloud and some sunshine.
High pressure is building and is set to dominate, a stark change from last week when a powerful Atlantic jet stream drove a cluster of storms. The high pressure is expected to remain over or near the UK for at least ten days because of a diffluent blocking pattern in the jet stream across the UK and western Europe, which will keep weather systems away.
Drought concerns persist
Despite recent storms Austen and Boelo offering short-term hydrological benefit, 82% of England remains in drought status, according to the Environment Agency. The coming dry stretch is likely to raise concerns about low water levels in reservoirs.
After the latest National Drought Group meeting, water companies were urged to fix leaks faster, and the public was asked to take shorter showers and turn off the tap while brushing their teeth. The Environment Agency says 20% more rain than average is needed over the next six months to end the drought.
Philip Duffy, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "The recent rain is welcome, but the drought isn't over. A few wet days cannot reverse months of hot, dry weather." He added that rivers, reservoirs and groundwater need sustained rainfall to recover, and that the effects on nature can last much longer.
With no storms on the horizon soon, it may be some time before Chloe, the next name on this year's storm list, arrives. El Niño has been linked to wetter and stormier weather in late autumn and early winter, and the Met Office's three-month outlook forecasts double the chance of wetter-than-normal conditions.
Source: BBC Science.
Questions and answers
- Which areas are covered by the Met Office fog warning?
- The yellow warning covers Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, the Home Counties and parts of Greater London. Visibility could drop below 100 metres in places, especially during the morning rush hour.
- How long will the dry weather last?
- High pressure is expected to stay over or near the UK for at least ten days, bringing mostly dry weather with only patches of low cloud and drizzle. Rainfall amounts will be negligible.
- What is the drought situation in England?
- 82% of England remains in drought status, according to the Environment Agency, which says 20% more rain than average is needed over the next six months to end the drought.
