Fog

Picture taken 18 July 2006

Large areas of the UK are currently plagued by thick fog. Temperatures there have not crept above 5C today, with a few exceptions. Strangely enough, the far north and northwest by contrast have been very mild. Stornoway's maximum is +9C, and Lerwick is currently reading +10C. Bear in mind that darkness fell about 2 hours ago.

Meanwhile, the fog in England has severely disrupted flights in and out of Heathrow. Planes can land and take off in fog, but the frequency is decreased. Fog poses obvious hazards for road users as well. Common sense dictates the following advice for driving in dense fog, taken from the Thinksafety website, run by the Department of Transport

• Watch out for fog - it drifts rapidly and is often patchy.
• In foggy conditions, drive very slowly using dipped headlights.
• Use fog-lights if visibility is seriously reduced, but remember to switch them off when visibility improves.
• Don't hang on to the tail-lights of the vehicle in front. This gives you a false sense of security and means you may be driving too close.
• Don't speed up suddenly, even if it seems to be clearing. You can suddenly find yourself back in thick fog.