Heavy fog to persist in UK this weekend following flight disruptions

The UK is set to face more heavy fog over the weekend, following disruptions that led to flight cancellations and delays.

More than 20,000 people were affected by flight delays to and from the UK on Friday, according to travel journalist Simon Calder, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"We had at London City Airport, at London Heathrow, the busiest in Britain, at London Gatwick, the second busiest, more than 40 cancellations in and out from each of those airports," he told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast.

The thick fog will continue on Saturday according to the Met Office, with some areas seeing visibility reduced to just 100 metres.

The worst of the fog is forecast to hit the South East and central England, while East Anglia and parts of South Wales will also be affected.

Forecasters have not issued any fog weather warnings yet but the Met Office said it will monitor the situation across the weekend.

Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said: "It's that time of year when people are travelling around the country a lot and there are a lot of people on the roads.

"There is a lot of fog covering much of England, mainly the South East and central England, but the rest of the country is seeing quite a bit of thick fog too.

"It will be pretty murky on Saturday morning and there will still be fog patches that will take a little longer to clear."

Meanwhile, there is a yellow warning in place for heavy rain in parts of Scotland for Monday and New Year's Eve on Tuesday, leaving the start of 2025 "distinctly unsettled".

Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations could face "significant disruption" from rain, with organisers warning audiences to "prepare for all weather, wrap up warm and double-check with your travel operator for the latest updates."

The yellow warning could see as much as 140mm (5.5in) of rain in places, as other parts of the UK will likely see rain, wind and possibly even snow later on next week.

The Met Office added that "more warnings are likely to be issued".

At Heathrow, British Airways was forced to cancel a handful of flights due to fog on Friday, while others were delayed.

Flights at both Gatwick and Manchester Airport were disrupted, with delays of up to three hours at Gatwick, and some passengers were diverted to other airports.

News.Az