Yellow weather warning issued for dangerous ‘freezing fog’

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A yellow weather warning was issued on Friday, with a dangerous “freezing fog” set to blanket parts of the UK after a sharp frost overnight.

By Saturday morning, the fog could be so dense that visibility drops to below 100 metres in some places, the Met Office said.

England, Wales and eastern Scotland are likely to face freezing fog patches and a risk of ice. It will become milder across western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland as cloud and patchy rain move in, with brisk winds in the far north-west.

Forecasters have issued a yellow weather warning between 2am and 11am for parts of England, including the Midlands, Yorkshire, Cheshire and much of the south-west and Wales. Travel delays are likely, while untreated surfaces could become slippery.

The Met Office said: “Freezing fog is expected to develop during Friday night and will be slow to clear in places through Saturday morning. Some fog could be quite dense with the visibility falling below 100 metres at times.

“Western England is more likely to see freezing fog persist into late morning and in a few places into the afternoon.”

Freezing fog is made of water droplets that freeze on contact with objects such as the pavement, road or car. This can quickly form a layer of ice, adding an extra element of danger.

Forecasters advise people to avoid travelling in the fog if possible. If people do have to travel, they should drive very slowly with headlights dipped, the Met Office said. This is because full-beam lights reflect off the fog causing a “white wall” effect.

It comes after temperatures plunged below -10C in parts of the UK this week amid snowy and icy conditions. Drumnadrochit near Inverness in the Highlands hit -10.4C in the early hours of Thursday, making it the coldest recorded temperature of the year so far.

Manchester Airport was also forced to close both its runways for a period due to heavy snowfall, which also led to train cancellations in the Midlands and north of England.

Meanwhile, freezing conditions have resulted in three fixtures in Saturday’s Football League schedule being postponed.

Bristol Rovers’ home clash with Wycombe and Port Vale’s trip to Morecambe have been called off in Sky Bet League One because of icy pitches.

“The freezing weather conditions have turned standing water into frozen areas, which has led to an unsafe playing surface,” Rovers said on their website.

Morecambe announced that their pitch is unplayable and, with more cold weather due, there is little hope of it improving. Doncaster’s League Two showdown with Tranmere at the Eco-Power Stadium has also been postponed on safety grounds.