Met Office fog warning threatens travel disruption in 36 UK areas

A widespread blanket of dense fog has prompted a new Met Office yellow weather warning across 36 areas of England and Wales this morning, with forecasters cautioning of slower journeys, delays to public transport and possible disruption to flights while visibility plunges in places.

Fog warning in force across central and eastern England

According to published Met Office information, the latest yellow warning for fog was issued in the early hours of Saturday 31 October and is in effect from 4am until 10am. The warning focuses on a broad swathe of central and eastern England, including parts of the East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands and North West.

Dense fog is expected to form and linger through the busy morning travel period, with visibility in some locations predicted to fall below 100 metres. Publicly available guidance notes that, under yellow warnings, some disruption to everyday routines is possible, particularly on transport routes exposed to the most persistent low cloud and fog.

While the alert stops short of the Met Office’s more severe amber and red categories, the combination of darkness, low autumn sun at daybreak and thick fog is likely to create challenging driving conditions on major roads, as well as on more rural links where there is little street lighting.

Recent storm systems, including Storm Austen and Storm Boelo, have already left surface water and debris on parts of the network, and travel operators are continuing to advise passengers to allow extra time for journeys during any further adverse weather.

Which 36 areas are affected by the Met Office warning

The current yellow fog warning covers 36 local authority areas and cities, stretching from the East Midlands across to the Welsh border counties and up into Yorkshire and the Humber. The full list, drawn from publicly available coverage of the Met Office alert, includes Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

Further south and east, the warning also applies to Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Peterborough, alongside Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. To the west, parts of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester sit inside the warning area.

In the borderlands of England and Wales, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Powys and Wrexham are included, reflecting the potential for thick, slow-clearing fog in low-lying areas and valleys. The warning also lists Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, and Telford and Wrekin, where a mix of motorways and fast A-roads could be affected.

Further north, the focus extends across East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York. Here, the combination of river valleys, estuarine locations and transport corridors means visibility can vary sharply over short distances.

What a yellow fog warning means for travellers

The Met Office’s National Severe Weather Warning Service describes yellow warnings as alerts for conditions that may bring low-level impacts to some locations, including slower road journeys, reduced visibility for drivers and localised interruptions to public transport. In the case of fog, risks increase where dense patches develop suddenly or persist longer than forecast.

Dense fog significantly reduces stopping distances and makes it harder to judge the speed and position of other vehicles. On high-speed routes such as motorways and dual carriageways, even relatively minor misjudgements can trigger multi-vehicle collisions when visibility falls away rapidly. Transport safety organisations generally advise increasing following distances, reducing speed and avoiding sudden lane changes in such conditions.

Publicly available summaries of the current warning indicate that bus and train services may also be affected, particularly in areas where reduced visibility complicates signalling operations or access to depots and sidings. In previous fog events, commuters in parts of central and eastern England have experienced slower services and occasional cancellations as operators work within reduced-speed safety protocols.

Air travel is also vulnerable. Thick fog around key regional airports can lead to delays and diversions, especially during the morning banking of arrivals and departures. Aviation reports indicate that low cloud and fog can force temporary suspensions of operations while visibility improves or as aircraft are spaced out more widely for safety reasons.

Advice for motorists, rail users and airline passengers

Public guidance linked to the latest warning encourages road users to check conditions before setting out, leave additional journey time and consider adjusting or postponing non-essential travel during the height of the fog. Drivers are urged to ensure that front and rear fog lights are working, to use dipped headlights, and to avoid relying solely on daytime running lights in thick fog.

Motorists are generally advised to reduce speed and maintain larger gaps from the vehicle ahead, particularly on sections of road prone to sudden visibility changes near rivers, fields and open countryside. Travel safety campaigns also emphasise the importance of not using full-beam headlights in fog, as they can reflect off the water droplets and further reduce visibility.

For those travelling by train or coach, publicly available information recommends checking live service updates before leaving home and being prepared for possible platform changes or revised timetables. Operators sometimes introduce speed restrictions in foggy conditions, which can lengthen journey times even where services remain otherwise unaffected.

Airline passengers within the warning area are encouraged to monitor departure boards and carrier announcements closely. Dense fog has the potential to disrupt early morning services in particular, and travellers may be asked to arrive earlier than usual for security and boarding processes if schedules have been compressed or restructured while the fog persists.

Fog warning follows a run of disruptive UK weather

The new alert comes after several weeks of unsettled conditions across the UK, with strong winds, heavy rain and named storms bringing more widespread disruption to parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. Recent systems such as Storm Boelo prompted amber wind warnings, ferry cancellations and power cuts in some northern and western regions.

Compared with those high-impact wind and rain events, the latest fog warning is expected to be more localised in its disruption. Nonetheless, forecasters and transport planners have highlighted that it coincides with one of the busiest travel periods of the week, increasing the likelihood of congestion where visibility is at its worst.

Met Office guidance on weather warnings notes that even yellow alerts can have significant implications when they overlap with peak commuting times or affect already-stressed parts of the transport network. Following earlier storms this autumn, some rail and road routes are still undergoing repairs, making them more vulnerable to any additional constraint on operations.

Travellers within the 36 affected areas are therefore being encouraged, through publicly accessible advice, to stay informed about local conditions throughout the morning, to allow extra time for journeys and to consider alternative options where possible until the fog lifts and the latest warning expires at 10am.