Mersey Ferry services were suspended on Monday morning (November 9) as thick fog reduced visibility across the region. A yellow weather warning for fog is in force until 11am, covering much of Merseyside, including Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens and parts of Sefton and Knowsley.
Travel disruption and warnings
The Met Office warned of difficult travelling conditions during the morning commute, with visibility potentially falling to 50 metres or less in some areas. Bus and train services could also face delays, while flights may be cancelled.
In a social media post, Mersey Ferries confirmed that services had been suspended due to the conditions. The statement said: "Due to fog and poor visibility, services are currently suspended. Our friends at Merseyrail are accepting our tickets for commuter sailings with replacement buses operating between Seacombe and Hamilton Square to connect with rail services to Liverpool."
"Keep checking back and we'll let you know when services are likely to resume. Thank you!"
Meteorologist explains fog formation
The fog is expected to thin slowly later in the morning. Niamh Murray, Met Office operational meteorologist, said current weather conditions are the "perfect recipe" for fog.
"With autumn and winter and getting fog during this time of year, we get much longer nights, and that allows temperatures to fall away," she told the Press Association. "We get a longer period of cooling and also the temperatures are much lower, so they're much closer to the temperature that we need for the air to become saturated and therefore form fog."
"Another thing that we need to form fog is quite light winds, not absolutely no winds. We just have the perfect recipe at the moment: light winds, clear skies, long nights, to allow that fog to develop. And particularly if we see the negative numbers (temperature in degrees Celsius), it can quite stubborn to clear the next day."
Drivers urged to take extra care
Drivers have been urged to take extra care in the low-lying cloud after a crash involving more than 30 vehicles during foggy conditions saw a motorway closed for nearly 12 hours. The M20 in Kent was shut both ways between junction 8 and 9 near Maidstone after the pile-up on Saturday evening (November 7), which seriously injured two people.
AA president Edmund King previously 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."
"Ultimately, there's no prize for arriving a few minutes early. Give yourself extra time, slow down and drive to what you can actually see ahead."
