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UK weather: flights cancelled as freezing fog grips south of England UK weather: flights cancelled as freezing fog grips south of England
(about 7 hours later)
Freezing fog over the south of England has caused 100 flights at Heathrow to be cancelled and led to warnings of disruption to rush-hour travel. Freezing fog in southern England is expected to continue causing disruption to air travel overnight and into Tuesday.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for fog, which it said would limit visibility during rush hour on Monday morning. The south-west is expected to experience the fog lift earliest, but it is expected to last until mid-morning further east, including in London. Thousands of passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports faced cancellations and delays as a result of the weather on Monday morning.
Heathrow said it expected disruption to flights and warned passengers to check with their airline before travelling. About 100 flights have been cancelled due to poor visibility. One flight has been cancelled at Gatwick but a spokeswoman said delays were likely. At City airport, the BBC reported 15 flights had been cancelled, while Stansted said it was monitoring the situation. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for all of England except the north-east; the warning will remain in place until 11am on Tuesday.
Luton airport said some flights had been delayed but as of 8.30am, none had been cancelled. A spokeswoman advised passengers to get to the airport in plenty of time and to check with their airline. Freezing fog is expected to reform overnight and will become widespreadacross parts of south-west England, the Midlands and south-east Wales, with dense patches likely elsewhere.
At Southampton airport six inbound and five outbound flights had been cancelled by 9am and other flights were delayed. A spokeswoman warned the disruption would have a knock-on effect on other flights. It is expected to thin and lift during Tuesday, although it may persist throughout the day in some areas, the Met Office said.
A strike by conductors on Southern railways threatened further disruption for commuters to the south of London, although the operator said 70% of services were expected to run.
The fog was thickest along the M4 corridor, with visibility as low as 30 metres in some places in the early hours of the morning, the Met Office said. Visibility improved as the sun came up but remained at about 100 metres in many places. The freezing temperatures meant there was also a sharp and widespread frost.
Similar conditions were expected for Tuesday morning, covering an even wider area.
The fog warning follows a bitingly cold night on Sunday across the south, with temperatures at Benson in Oxfordshire as low as -6.9C (20F). The UK’s lowest temperature on Sunday night was -7.1C at Katesbridge in Northern Ireland.
It's been a bitterly #cold night for many with dense #freezing #fog- these early stats show some of the lowest overnight #temperatures pic.twitter.com/BiroGsrmfvIt's been a bitterly #cold night for many with dense #freezing #fog- these early stats show some of the lowest overnight #temperatures pic.twitter.com/BiroGsrmfv
Temperatures were expected to remain below freezing for much of Monday morning across the affected area, and the Met Office warned slippery surfaces could pose a risk for rush-hour travellers. Around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Monday. A spokesman apologised to anyone and said there may be further cancellations on Tuesday.
Simon Partridge, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the fog would linger. “It’s going to be a slow clearing process and some places may not completely clear throughout the day,” he said. “Some parts may not see more than -1C because of mist and fog not clearing fully.” “With Heathrow operating at more than 99% capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights, and as a result some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys,” the spokesman said. “Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport.”
Freezing fog is likely to affect an even wider area on Monday night and into Tuesday morning. “Again, tonight we’re looking at fog in some places, which is likely to form quite quickly when the sun goes down. It could actually be even further spread, into the Vale of York and Wales,” said Partridge. Temperatures as low as -5C or -6C were expected, he added. Fifty-five flights from London City airport – more than 40% of all scheduled departures – and 34 incoming flights were cancelled.
The wind was expected to pick up later in the week, dissipating fog, Partridge said. At Gatwick, 21 departures and the same number of arrivals fell foul of the weather. At least seven departures from Southampton airport were also cancelled.
A spokeswoman for Stansted airport said there had not been any cancellations there but advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information and allow enough time to get to the airport.
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was one of those affected by the disruption. She had been due to attend an engagement in London on Monday morning but was delayed at Glasgow airport because a small number of flights south were cancelled.
Flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports were also affected by the freezing fog in London.
Meanwhile, road users were warned of difficult driving conditions and advised that journeys were likely to take longer than usual.