Thick fog cancels Heathrow and London City flights on 9 November

Flights cancelled as the fog settles

Thick fog spread across much of southern England and the Midlands, and the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for fog that took effect at 6pm on 8 November. Forecasters warned that visibility could fall to 50 metres or less in places, with possible delays to bus, train and flight services. By 6.30am on 9 November, seven flights from Heathrow and three from London City had been cancelled, while the warning covered London and most of the South East. A broader alert, as other reporting described it, also took in south east England, East Anglia, the Midlands and sections of Yorkshire.

A separate yellow warning for fog was in place for Northern Ireland, running until 10am. Some reports gave 11am as the end time for the England warning, while another put it at 10am. Forecasters cautioned that flights could be delayed or cancelled, and that alerts could change as conditions develop.

Heathrow7

London City3

Heathrow

7 flights

London City

3 flights

Data from the article text

Crashes on the M20 and M4

A pile-up involving more than 30 vehicles on the M20 in Kent closed the motorway in both directions between junctions 8 and 9 near Maidstone for nearly 12 hours. The crash happened on the evening of 7 November and seriously injured two people. Separately, a two-car collision on the M4 between junctions 3 and 4 near Heathrow Airport caused three miles of tailbacks, according to National Highways. Police and recovery crews attended that collision at 11:30pm on 8 November. Heathrow Airport urged passengers on social media to allow extra time for their journeys and to check with their airlines before leaving home.

AA president Edmund King urged drivers to adapt their speed and leave more room between themselves and the vehicle ahead, warning against following the rear lights of the car in front.

“Fog can transform a familiar road in a matter of minutes, so drivers need to be prepared to adapt their speed.”

Forecast and what comes next

Met Office operational meteorologist Niamh Murray said the weather had all the ingredients for fog. Long autumn and winter nights allow temperatures to fall, bringing them closer to the level at which air becomes saturated. Light winds are also needed, and she said the combination of light winds, clear skies and long nights would let the fog build. She added that when temperatures drop below zero, fog can be stubborn to clear the next day.

“We just have the perfect recipe at the moment: light winds, clear skies, long nights, to allow that fog to develop.”

Forecasts had the fog lifting slowly through the morning of 9 November, with some patches lingering into the afternoon across central England and Wales. Most of the country was expected to see sunny spells but chilly conditions, with temperatures of around 8C in London during the morning and only 5C in parts of Scotland before midday. Overnight into 9 November, parts of Scotland were forecast to reach freezing, while Peterborough could drop to 2C. Forecasters also said the warnings themselves could change as conditions develop, so travellers were urged to check road conditions and their airline or transport operator before setting off.