It’s grey Britain! UK weather warning map reveals area where thick fog will blanket today

Published: 00:12, 28 November 2024 | Updated: 00:16, 28 November 2024

Britons have be warned that thick 'freezing' fog is expected to set in overnight, causing difficult driving conditions and a chance of traffic delays.

A yellow weather warning has been issued for northern Ireland [2] and parts of England as patches of fog form overnight with temperatures plummeting below zero.

Ice on roads is expected, with the Met Office [3] urging drivers to take care and set off early in affected areas from Manchester through Birmingham [4], Bath and Salisbury.

It comes after Storm Conall buffeted the UK with two weeks' worth of rain in the space of just 24 hours on Wednesday, and Storm Bert continues to batter Britain.

At least five people have died amid devastating flooding brought by Storm Bert, with strong winds and power cuts causing major delays around the British Isles.

Nearly 240 [5]flood alerts or warnings remained in place by Wednesday afternoon as Environment Agency teams are hampered in their recovery efforts.

Fog and freezing temperatures are expected to set in overnight as Britain reels from Storm Bert

Northern Ireland and parts of western England are expected to be caught in the fog

Flooded caravans at Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park in Northampton on November 26

A business owner clears flood water from his property at Billing Wharf, near the River Nene, Northamptonshire, on November 26

A truck driving through flood water in Northampton on Tuesday, November 26

The Met Office has urged caution with fog across parts of western England expected to hinder visibility from just after midnight until 10am.

Visibility could fall below 100 metres (328ft) in some of the worst-affected areas, and delays to public services could follow.

Which areas will be affected?

Northamptonshire
Buckinghamshire
Hampshire
Oxfordshire
Southampton
West Berkshire
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackpool
Cheshire East
Cheshire West and Chester
Greater Manchester
Halton
Lancashire
Merseyside
Warrington
Bath and NE Somerset
Bristol
Dorset
Gloucestershire
North Somerset
Somerset
South Gloucestershire
Swindon
Wiltshire
Flintshire
Monmouthshire
Newport
Wrexham
Herefordshire
Shropshire
Staffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent
Telford and Wrekin
Warwickshire
West Midlands Conurbation
Worcestershire

Source: Met Office [6]

With temperatures falling below freezing, icy patches will be an additional hazard on untreated surfaces, the Met Office notes.

The majority of flights to and from Belfast City Airport have already been cancelled amid the fog warning.

Disruption is expected to continue through tomorrow morning.

A five day forecast [7] warns of frost, fog and icy stretches developing widely across the UK.

Wednesday night is expected to see some coastal showers in the east as a widespread frost forms, with dense fog in some areas.

Frost and fog will slowly clear from most areas through Thursday for a dry but chilly afternoon.

Patchy rain can be expected to appear in some parts of western England.

Forecasters are predicting a cold and rainy Friday before a mild weekend with intervals of rain.

The Environment Agency warned that ongoing flooding impacts would continue through Wednesday as river levels remain high from sustained rainfall from Storm Bert last weekend.

Storm Conall has since brought more rainfall to the south and southeast of England, slowing the recovery.

Secretary of State Steve Reed held a meeting with Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy on Monday to discuss the response and plans to protect communities.

The Government is also investing GBP2.4bn until March 2026 to improve resilience to flooding and better protect communities nationwide.

Several people died as Storm Bert swept through the UK and brought powerful winds and flooding.

Thousands of homes have been left without power and public services delayed by the impact.

A body was found in a search for 75-year-old Brian Perry on Sunday afternoon after he went missing in north Wales on Saturday.

A man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester, police said.

A man in his 80s died in hospital after he was rescued from a car that had driven into a ford on Saturday.

A 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision early on Saturday, police reported. It was unclear if the tragedy was linked to the storm, but conditions were icy.

A man in his 40s also died in a crash on the A45. It was not clear if the incident was linked to the storm.

Flooded fields and roads near Upton-upon-Severn on Wednesday

Flooded fields and roads near Upton upon Severn, on November 27

Vehicles drive through floodwater on Victoria Embankment in central London on Wednesday

Homeowners and businesses said they 'have lost everything' as flash floods and strong winds wreaked havoc over the weekend.

Hundreds of homes were flooded, roads were turned to rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across the UK during the height of the storm.

What is a yellow weather warning?

Yellow warnings can be issued for a range of weather situations.

Many are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places.

Many people may be able to continue with their daily routine, but there will be some that will be directly impacted and so it is important to assess if you could be affected.

Other yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower.

It is important to read the content of yellow warnings to determine which weather situation is being covered by the yellow warning.

Some residents and business owners have had to appeal to the public for help amid fears they will not be able to clear the devastation by Christmas.

Lynn Bridgeman, who lives in a caravan park in Taunton, Somerset, said she went through an 'absolutely terrifying experience' in the early hours of Sunday when strong winds caused her awning to collapse.

She said: 'At three o'clock in the morning, my caravan went up on one wheel and that was the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced.

'I thought the caravan was going to topple over.

I literally screamed.

'When I got up in the morning, I couldn't get out of the caravan because the awning had come down and the pole got pushed into the door.'

Ms Bridgeman, who kept her clothes, food, and electrics in the awning, said her neighbours had to cut out what was left of the canopy to get her out of the caravan.

The 53-year-old mother of three, who had already lost her home 18 months prior after deteriorating health prevented her from working, set up a GoFundMe page hoping to raise enough money to replace her lost possessions [8] - and assist other residents of the park who have been affected by the storm.

So far, GBP355 has been raised out of a GBP12,000 target.

'I have lost everything,' Ms Bridgeman said. 'I had everything in that awning, from my food to my clothes to my electrics.

'We had been preparing for the winter and it's all gone, and all the money that we put into it.

'I just absolutely feel destroyed. Every time I open up my caravan door at the moment, I burst into tears.

'Losing things that you have worked for is very hard. It's absolutely heartbreaking, to have to stand there and just rebuild again.'

She added: 'Luckily, we are all family here in this site.

This is why I did this GoFundMe - so hopefully I can not only help myself, but them too.'

The Met subsequently named Storm Conall after issuing yellow weather warnings for rain in parts of south, south east and south west England, landing Tuesday overnight until midday on Wednesday.

More flood warnings were issued through Wednesday, but Environment Secretary Steve Reed assured the impact 'should be less severe'.

References

^ JAMES REYNOLDS (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ northern Ireland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Birmingham (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ 240 (www.gov.uk)
^ Source: Met Office (weather.metoffice.gov.uk)
^ five day forecast (www.metoffice.gov.uk)
^ set up a GoFundMe page hoping to raise enough money to replace her lost possessions (www.gofundme.com)