Millions of drivers have been urged to “avoid travel” on Thursday as the Met Office issued a yellow warning for fog for huge swathes of England and parts of Wales.
According to the forecaster, fog is expected to develop through Wednesday evening and overnight – and will be “dense” with “visibility below 100m” in some places.
The weather warning extends from Exeter and Cardiff to Hull, covering cities such as Oxford, Peterborough, Birmingham, and Lincoln.
The Met Office website states: “Some of the fog will tend to thin and lift into low cloud across parts of southern England and the southeast Midlands by dawn, but is likely to persist in a corridor from southwest England through the rest of the Midlands to Lincolnshire and Yorkshire until late morning.”
The warning is in place until 11 am on Thursday.
Sharing advice for road users when travelling in fog, the forecaster said: “Avoid travel if possible. Drive very slowly with dipped headlights as full-beam lights reflect off the fog, causing a ‘white wall’ effect
“Keep an eye on your speed, fog can give the illusion of moving in slow motion. Use fog lights, but remember to turn them off when the visibility improves.
“Don’t hang on the tail lights of the car in front, rear lights can give a false sense of security
“Watch out for freezing fog which is made of water droplets that freeze on contact with objects such as the pavement, road, car, etc. It can quickly form a layer of ice.”
The Met Office warning states: “Areas of fog will continue to develop through Wednesday evening and overnight and, in places, will be dense with visibility below 100 metres.
“Some of the fog will tend to thin and lift into low cloud across parts of southern England and the southeast Midlands by dawn, but is likely to persist in a corridor from southwest England through the rest of the Midlands to Lincolnshire and Yorkshire until late morning.”
Buses, trains, flights, and ferry travel could also all be affected by the weather, the Met Office has said