Freezing fog to descend on Sunday and wreak rush-hour havoc on Monday

Freezing fog to descend on Sunday before wreaking rush-hour havoc on Monday: Met Office issues yellow alert as mercury dips below zero overnight

• The yellow weather warning will be in place between 2am and 11am on Sunday
• Comes after temperatures plunged below minus 10C in parts of the UK this week

Forecasters have issued a further weather warning this weekend with freezing fog set to descend on Sunday before wreaking havoc on rush-hour traffic on Monday.

The Met Office said parts of England will be hit by difficult driving conditions while freezing temperatures could see untreated surfaces become slippery.

The yellow weather warning will be in place between 2am and 11am on Sunday, with Yorkshire down to East Anglia expected to see the densest fog.

Overnight temperatures across the country are forecast to be sub-zero during the weekend.

The yellow weather warning will be in place between 2am and 11am on Sunday, with Yorkshire down to East Anglia expected to see the densest fog

Overnight temperatures across the country are forecast to be sub-zero during the weekend

They will climb to highs of around 5C in the South East and 10C in the North. 

It means travel delays are likely and flights could be cancelled.

Cold, hard facts about how freezing winter weather can harm your health

A ‘moderate’ air pollution alert has also been issued by mayor Sadiq Khan in London, where the foggy conditions are causing poor dispersion of vehicle emissions.

He said: ‘On Sunday, alongside the extreme cold temperatures we’ve been experiencing, we are also expecting moderate to high levels of air pollution.

‘We all need to be careful over the next few days. 

‘I’m urging Londoners to look after each other by choosing to walk, cycle or take public transport, avoiding unnecessary car journeys, stopping engine idling and not burning wood or garden waste, all of which contributes to high levels of pollution. 

‘This is particularly important in order to protect those who are more vulnerable to high pollution.’

But Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said the worst of the cold spell is over, with temperatures expected to climb next week across the whole of the UK.

Mr Snell said: ‘Next week, looking at the severe front, it’s looking pretty benign.

‘We’re starting to lose the risk of fog and temperatures are generally around where they should be.

‘We’ll probably lose the really hard frosts. In terms of ice and snow, it certainly looks like we’re over the worst.

‘We’ve got to keep an eye on risk of fog generally this cold spell, although the main hazards from it look like they are beginning to diminish.’

Several sports fixtures have been called off and travel cancelled on Saturday following the freezing conditions

People across England are also facing devastating floods as rivers burst their banks and threaten homes this weekend

Mr Snell explained the temperatures would be lower in the South, which is often warmer than other areas of the country, because of a change in wind direction in the North West.

The change will see an Arctic blast that swept across the UK over the past five days giving way to warmer air from the Atlantic, but will take longer to reach southern areas.

Several sports fixtures have been called off and travel cancelled on Saturday following the freezing conditions.

The Sky Bet Championship match between Blackpool and Huddersfield was postponed due to a frozen pitch and a race meeting at Haydock was cancelled because of an icy track.

The CalMac ferry, which operates services from mainland Scotland to the islands off its west coast, also cancelled sailings due to the weather.

National Rail said there was disruption to trains between Three Bridges in Wessex and and Brighton, Hove and Sussex due to a points failure but did not specify whether this was caused by ice.

It comes after temperatures plunged below minus 10C in parts of the UK this week amid snow and icy conditions.

Drumnadrochit near Inverness in the Highlands hit minus 10.4C in the early hours of Thursday, making it the coldest recorded temperature of the year so far.

Manchester Airport was also forced to close both its runways for a period due to heavy snowfall.

Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said the worst of the cold spell is over, with temperatures expected to climb next week across the whole of the UK

Mr Snell explained the temperatures would be lower in the South, which is often warmer than other areas of the country, because of a change in wind direction in the North West

Thousands of homes are threatened as water levels in the River Thames rise following heavy rain

Up to 15 flood alerts have been issued along the Thames by the Environment Agency, who have told residents in at risk areas to be prepared for the worst as flooding is possible

People across England are also facing devastating floods as rivers burst their banks and threaten homes this weekend.

Thousands of homes are threatened as water levels in the River Thames rise following heavy rain.

Up to 15 flood alerts have been issued along the Thames by the Environment Agency, who have told residents in at risk areas to be prepared for the worst as flooding is possible.

Cars have had to be abandoned this week as rising waters catch motorists out.

The flooding has been made worse by warmer temperatures at the end of the week thawing the snow and ice which settled in much of the UK in recent days when temperatures plunged to below -10C in places.

Flood water has also frozen over into inch-thick ice in places as temperatures drop once again.

In Somerset, an abandoned lorry was trapped on a flooded road and surrounded by icy waters. 

There is a level three cold alert for England until Wednesday as the week’s icy temperatures continue. 

The next few days are likely to see more mild temperatures, but frost and fog are set to continue across much of the country.

The Met Office said: ‘Freezing fog will lead to difficult driving conditions and could cause travel delays in some areas on Saturday night and Sunday morning.’

Areas covered by the weather warning for fog

East Midlands

• Derby
• Derbyshire
• Leicester
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire
• Rutland

East of England

• Bedford
• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Essex
• Hertfordshire
• Norfolk
• Peterborough
• Suffolk

London & South East England

• Bracknell Forest
• Buckinghamshire
• East Sussex
• Greater London
• Hampshire
• Kent
• Milton Keynes
• Oxfordshire
• Reading
• Slough
• Surrey
• West Berkshire
• West Sussex
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Wokingham

West Midlands

• Staffordshire
• Warwickshire
• West Midlands conurbation

Yorkshire & Humber

• East Riding of Yorkshire
• Kingston upon Hull
• North East Lincolnshire
• North Lincolnshire
• North Yorkshire
• South Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire
• York

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