Major airports problem flight warnings after ‘dense fog’ engulfs Britain – earlier than soggy New Year’s Eve with six inches of rain to fall in simply days

Passengers at some of the country’s busiest airports are facing disruption and mayhem due to foggy weather.

Much of the UK has been shrouded in mist in recent days and the weather is having an impact as airports return to their normal flight schedules after Christmas.

Travellers are being urged to check with their airline as air traffic restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog, the country’s main air traffic control provider Nats said on Friday. 

Air traffic restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog, the country’s main air traffic control provider, Nats has said.

Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport, is among those affected.

A spokesperson for Nats said: ‘Due to widespread fog, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at several airports across the UK today. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.

‘We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information.

‘Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption.’

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: ‘Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. Some flights may be delayed throughout the day.

‘London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information.’ 

And in a warning to its customers, Ryanair urged jetsetters flying to and from the UK to check the airline’s app for updates to their trips.

A spokesman for the budget airline said: ‘Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK today should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.

‘We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions They are outside of Ryanair’s control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK today.’

It comes as Britain braces itself for more dull and drizzly weather over the coming days – with six inches of rain forecast to fall in the run-up to Year’s Eve, plus a chance of snow and wind. 

Outbreaks of patchy rain in northern and western Scotland are expected today as well as mild temperatures and conditions similar to those on Boxing Day.

Met Office meteorologists are expecting cloud and ‘patchy drizzle’ in areas with thick cloud throughout today, including western Wales and South West England.

North East England will enjoy the brightest weather of the day, with some sunshine in Aberdeenshire and temperatures of 10C (50F) to 12C (54F) across the UK.

Looking ahead to New Year’s Eve, Hogmanay celebrations are under threat after the Met Office issued a ‘danger to life’ rain warning for most of Scotland.

The yellow warning, running for all of next Monday and Tuesday, alerts the public to snow and strong winds along with 5.5in (140mm) of rain over the 48-hour period.

Downpours could flood homes, cut off communities and cancel trains – while ‘there is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life’.

It comes after a very mild few days with a UK high of 13.7C (56.7F) in Okehampton, Devon, on Boxing Day; and of 14.2C (57.6F) in Aberdeen on Christmas Day. 

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: ‘Basically, North East seems to be the place to be for the next couple of days if you want to see some brighter and maybe even some blue sky at times, whereas elsewhere is mainly grey.’ 

Over the weekend it will become ‘a little bit windier and a little bit wetter’ across Scotland, with showers in northern Scotland as a result of low pressure, he said.

Further south it will be ‘pretty cloudy’ with some breaks in the cloud on Sunday because of slightly stronger winds, Mr Partridge added.

Temperatures at the weekend may be ‘slightly fresher’ with highs of about 9C (48F) to 11C (52F) expected, compared with 11C (52F) to 13C (55F) earlier in the week.

‘It’s still fairly mild for the time of year, staying mild overnight so unlikely to see much in the way of frost over the next few days,’ he added.

The forecast for next week includes ‘quite wet and quite windy’ weather for those celebrating Hogmanay in Scotland, with the potential for snow on both high and low ground.

Mr Partridge continued: ‘As we head towards New Year, particularly for New Year’s Eve, it looks like there could be some wet and rather windy weather, particularly across Scotland, which is not ideal, considering that’s the place that really goes to town for New Year’s Eve.

‘So there is potential for a little bit of possibly disruptive weather on New Year’s Eve, and the most likely place to see the most disruptive weather is, unfortunately, Scotland.’

The Met Office yellow warning said: ‘Rain is likely to become persistent and occasionally heavy on Monday and possibly last through New Year’s Eve. 

‘This may bring some significant disruption and flooding in the build up to New Year events, although there is still a lot of uncertainty in which areas are likely to be affected. 

‘Widespread totals of 50 to 70mm are possible over the two days with some places perhaps seeing 100 to 140mm of rain, these higher totals most likely over western Scotland. 

‘Snow may present an additional hazard, especially in the north of Scotland and over high ground. Strong winds could also bring further disruption, particularly on Tuesday.’

Although it has been very mild for the time of year in recent days, 2024’s Boxing Day temperatures were well off the warmest December 26 on record in 2011 when 16.1C (61.0F) was measured in Banff, Aberdeenshire.

But this year did see the UK’s mildest Christmas Day since 2016, which was 15.1C (59.2F). The highest ever December 25 temperature was set in 1920 at 15.6C (60.1F).