Travel disruption possible as dense fog returns

Thick fog could bring disruption to motorists for a second day this week across parts of England and eastern Wales.

A Met Office weather warning was in place on Monday morning for the fourth consecutive day, this time covering the Midlands, East Anglia, the northern home counties, Yorkshire and the Humber and parts of Cheshire.

North-eastern counties of Wales such as Powys, Denbighshire, Conwy, Flintshire and Wrexham were also included in the warning.

It comes after thick fog blanketed a wide swathe of the UK on Monday and over the weekend, resulting in disruption to road and air travel.

On Saturday night, thick fog blanketed parts of England and Wales, making an FA cup match between Altrincham and Notts County less of a spectator sport.

It also caused a 30-car pile-up on the M20 in Kent on Saturday leaving two people seriously injured, as well as a 19-car collision on the A303 in Hampshire.

On Monday, 40 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport before fog cleared.

On Tuesday, visibility could be reduced to less than 100m in places which could lead to further travel disruption.

Patchy fog could also develop outside the warning area where the skies clear.

Southern counties of England will see breezier conditions, which should help inhibit fog formation. However, sheltered areas could once again see some dense patches.

For most locations, it will lift by the afternoon. However, it could linger on for much of the day in places where the fog is most dense.

Fog is not unusual at this time of year, especially as the nights become longer and the sunshine weaker.

High pressure can often last for days meaning the air mass does not change and becomes stagnant.

However, this week the forecast is looking changeable.

An area of low pressure towards the south-west of the UK will push weather fronts northwards across England and Wales.

This will bring cloud, rain and brisk easterly winds later on Tuesday, making fog unlikely here on Wednesday morning.

It could still form to the north of the fronts across Northern Ireland and Scotland, however, and is most likely to develop across the Central Belt and the glens of the south.

Towards the end of the week, a cold front will sweep southward introducing a northerly wind and arctic air with a lower dewpoint.

This means widespread fog will become much less likely, although there will be morning frosts.