{"id":116722,"date":"2026-01-16T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=116722"},"modified":"2026-01-16T11:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:06:22","slug":"met-office-issues-urgent-fog-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/met-office-issues-urgent-fog-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"Met Office Issues Urgent Fog Warning as Major UK Airports Face Chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A blanket of dense fog has descended over large parts of northern England, prompting travel warnings and raising concerns over commuter safety. The Met Office<\/strong> has issued a yellow weather warning<\/strong>, with conditions expected to affect road, rail and air services during the early hours of Friday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While such fog events are not unusual in winter, the timing and severity of this episode pose a heightened risk of disruption. With visibility dropping sharply across multiple regions, transport services face delays, and travellers are being advised to take extra precautions and monitor the situation closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disruptive Fog Blankets Northern England in Early Hours<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A dense band of fog has prompted the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning affecting several parts of North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber. The alert, which came into effect at 4:04am<\/strong> on Friday, 16 January, is set to remain in place until 9am, causing potential disruption to road, rail, and air travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sudden dip in visibility, in some cases falling below 100 metres<\/strong>, has led to delays on public transport, with the possibility of flight cancellations and longer journey times across the affected areas. According to the Met Office<\/a>, the fog <\/strong>will lift gradually through the morning, transitioning into low cloud, but not before creating significant early-morning challenges for commuters and travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Areas Impacted and Expected Delays Across Transport Networks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fog warning covers 11 local authority areas<\/strong>, including Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, as well as large parts of North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. Further south, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, York, and North Lincolnshire are also within the zone of concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Met Office, air traffic control protocols require increased spacing between aircraft during periods of low visibility. This reduces the number of landings airports can handle in a given time, which in turn increases the likelihood of flight delays<\/strong> and cancellations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fog also poses a risk to road users, with visibility extremely limited in low-lying rural areas. The Met Office has urged drivers to ensure their fog lights are functioning and to allow extra time for their journeys. \u201cGive yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, leaving extra journey time, or amending plans if necessary<\/em>,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rail and bus services may also be subject to delays as operators deal with reduced visibility and related safety checks. Commuters have been encouraged to check live service updates before setting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Urged to Remain Cautious Amid Lingering Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though the fog <\/a>is expected to lift during the morning, conditions on the ground may remain challenging. The Met Office has advised travellers to take basic safety measures, especially during peak commuting hours. For drivers, this includes not only checking fog lights<\/strong> but also maintaining safe distances from other vehicles and reducing speed where necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the warning, \u201cBus and train services, as well as flights and ferry travel, may also be affected; check for updates from your travel company, and follow their advice<\/em>.\u201d This follows previous disruptions earlier in the month due to severe winter weather, compounding pressure on regional travel infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yellow warning, while not uncommon in winter, highlights the ongoing vulnerability of the UK\u2019s transport network to adverse weather conditions, particularly when visibility plummets. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and further updates may follow if the fog persists or worsens. While no accidents or major incidents have been reported as of yet, transport authorities remain on alert. The advice remains clear: travel only if necessary, plan ahead, and stay informed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A fresh warning from the Met Office has triggered major travel disruption across parts of England. As dense fog rolls in, flights are delayed, roads slow to a crawl, and commuters scramble to adjust their plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":116725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weather","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116722"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116724,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116722\/revisions\/116724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}