A yellow weather warning for fog is in place across parts of London and surrounding areas on Friday morning, with the Met Office urging drivers to prepare for reduced visibility. The warning covers parts of Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, the Home Counties and the outskirts of the capital, including areas near Stansted and Heathrow Airport, although neither airport has reported flights being affected.
Slough, Watford, St Albans and parts of north-west London are also under the warning, which remains in force until 10am. The lowest visibility is expected during the morning rush hour. Although not covered by the Met Office warning, central and inner London were shrouded in fog on Friday morning, with pictures showing fog hanging over Tower Bridge.
Fog expected to linger into the weekend
Early morning mist and fog could also move into Saturday morning, with the possibility that low cloud could hang around all day. The Met Office defines fog as tiny water droplets suspended in the air which reduce visibility to less than 1,000 metres, while mist is less dense, with visibility remaining at 1,000 metres or more.
The AA is urging drivers to take care and prepare for reduced visibility, particularly during the morning commute. The UK's largest motoring association told drivers not to rely solely on automatic headlights or daytime running lights in the fog, to slow down, and to increase the gap to the vehicle ahead.
Advice for drivers in foggy conditions
The AA statement on its website added: "Be particularly alert for road workers and others working at the roadside, who can be much harder to see when visibility is poor." Fog lights should only be used when visibility is seriously reduced and should be promptly switched off when conditions improve so as not to dazzle other road users. Particular care should be taken near junctions.
Operations at Heathrow and Stansted appear to be unaffected by the low visibility, though passengers are advised to check before they travel.
Weather outlook for the weekend
Meteorologist Honor Criswick said: "The foggy picture is set to continue as we creep our way closer towards Halloween." "Later into [Friday] evening, we will see that fog return, especially across eastern areas of England quite early on into the evening. This fog is likely to be more widespread," Ms Criswick added.
The warning comes just a week after Storm Boelo battered the north of the UK and brought 84 mph gusts of wind. Conditions over this weekend are forecast to be milder, though mist and fog is still forecast across the early mornings of Saturday and Sunday in parts of the UK. Next week, the Met Office is warning of more fog, which "could be slow to clear, or possibly linger all day."
Edmund King OBE, Director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: "Fog can transform a familiar road in a matter of minutes, so drivers need to be prepared to adapt their speed and leave more room between themselves and the vehicle ahead. One of the biggest mistakes is simply following the rear lights of the car in front. It can give you a false sense of security and means you may be travelling too close to react safely if that vehicle suddenly stops. Don't assume your automatic headlights have switched themselves on either. Take control, use dipped headlights and make sure you can both see and be seen."
