UK weather: 'Wintry hazards' of freezing fog, sleet and snow could disrupt travel for 'at least a week'

Jul 09, 2023

Freezing fog, ice, sleet and snow are set to cause travel disruption across the UK, with airports temporarily closing runways and delaying flights due to the extreme cold weather.

Sunday 11 December 2022 05:20, UK

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Freezing fog, ice, sleet and snow are set to cause travel disruption for at least a week, with flights affected in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and more bitter weather to come.

Parts of Scotland, south-western England, the Midlands, north-western England and Wales were hit by snow on Saturday, causing travel disruptions.

Dozens of flights were cancelled at Dublin airport, and Manchester airport temporarily closed both runways due to heavy snowfall.

More travel disruption is expected on Sunday and Monday, and could include power cuts, problems with mobile phone coverage, and some rural communities being cut off.

Read more: Cold weather Q&A - experts answer your questions

Sky News weather presenter Kirsty McCabe says we can expect the the cold weather to stay "for at least a week" with a mix of "wintry hazards, including frost, ice, sleet, snow and freezing fog" due to an "Arctic blast of cold weather".

"Wintry showers will persist in northern Scotland on Sunday but should slowly ease elsewhere.

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"There will be good sunny spells inland, although parts of central and southern England may stay grey as freezing fog patches only slowly lift. It will be cold again, freezing where fog lingers.

"There is a chance that a band of rain, sleet and snow will push into parts of southeast England later in the day."

Sky News weather presenter Kirsty McCabe explains: Freezing fog is similar to normal fog but with a crucial difference – the tiny water droplets suspended in the air are supercooled. So even though they are still liquid they are actually below freezing temperature.

That’s because liquid need a surface to freeze onto, so when these supercooled droplets come into contact with a surface such as trees, lamp posts, overhead wires and so on, they form a white deposit of needles or feathery ice crystals, known as rime.

Freezing fog is often accompanied by freezing drizzle, which leads to a film of ice coating surfaces. Freezing fog is also very stubborn and tends to linger for much of the day, keeping temperatures below freezing.

Get the latest 5-day forecast where you live here

A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for much of Scotland, as well as parts of Wales and south-western England until 12pm on Sunday.

Two more snow and ice warnings will kick in on Sunday - one for the north of Scotland for 24 hours from 12pm and another for most of London and some of south-east England covering 6pm on Sunday to 9am on Monday.

Gritters have been out across the UK in a bid to keep motorways and other major roads open, while the RAC said on Friday that the number of breakdown callouts has been 25% higher than usual.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is advising people to look out for friends and family who are vulnerable in the cold and to ensure they have access to warm food and drinks, adding that people should maintain indoor temperatures of at least 18C (64.4F).

Dr Agostinho Sousa, consultant in public health medicine at the agency, advised people to "keep your bedroom windows closed at night," adding that "wearing several layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer."