London weather: Heathrow flights canceled as freezing fog hangs over the capital amid snow and ice alert

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At least 48 flights were canceled from Heathrow on Sunday morning as freezing fog descended over London – with snow and ice expected to cause problems for travelers during rush hour on Monday.

The Met Office issued a yellow fog warning for the capital Sunday morning, which it said could cause bus and train services delays as well as flight cancellations.

There is a separate snow and ice warning for most of London and some south-east England covering the hours of 6pm on Sunday to 9am on Monday.

A Heathrow spokesperson told the Standard: “Nice weather is expected across the UK today and we want to reassure passengers that our colleagues are working closely with our airline partners and air traffic control to get them safely off their flights as quickly as possible. We encourage Passengers should check their flight status with their airline to get the latest information.”

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Elsewhere, Stansted escaped a weather-related cancellation on Sunday morning despite a number of flights being delayed.

The Met Office expects London to experience snow overnight into Monday – the first of the season in the capital – with temperatures expected to drop to -3C.

The temperature is unlikely to rise above 2°C or 3°C during the day on Monday and the rest of the week with overnight frost expected.

To the north, temperatures are expected to drop to -10°C or even lower in some places.

Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Wellington said: “It is cold with daytime temperatures remaining just a few degrees above freezing in many places over the coming days and overnight temperatures dropping to -10C or below in isolated locations.

“Although below average, these temperatures are not unusual for this time of year.”

Met Bureau meteorologist Ellie Wilson added: “It’s looking forward to staying cool over the next week with frost overnight and some cold temperatures in the day too.

“It was a little more snow today than we originally thought,” she added.

“During Sunday morning, most of the winter rain will be concentrated in the northern parts of the UK – so Scotland – and the southwest of England,” she said.

“During Sunday and into Monday there is a chance that the south east of England could see more in the way of snow although there is a bit of uncertainty there.

Plumstead Common, Greenwich, Sunday morning

/ Michael Hoy

“It’s also possible that there’s a freak wave in the South Midlands – Bristol/Bath area – but anything settling above 200-300m is likely.”

The forecaster also said that the risk of icing during the next two days will be higher in the coastal areas as the rain falls in the form of rain and then freezes.

“We expect it to last until at least next week,” Wilson said of how long the cold snap would last.

“There is a possibility that temperatures will fluctuate a little bit but we don’t expect it to get any milder than what we’ve seen recently with overnight frosts expected until at least next Friday, well into the weekend.”

Croydon Theme Park, where the temperature dropped to -4C

/ Eliot Wagland / S

The severe conditions caused travel disruption as Manchester Airport temporarily closed both runways on Saturday morning due to “heavy snow”.

Both the RAC and North West Motorway Police issued warnings about driving in wintry conditions as the latter responded to traffic accidents on several major roads.

Walkers in snowy conditions in the Cairngorms National Park near Aviemore. (PA)

/ PA wire

The weather bureau said the conditions could lead to more travel disruption, especially on Monday morning, and a small chance of outages for some rural communities along with the possibility of power outages and mobile phone coverage being affected.

Elsewhere, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sent out a level three cold weather alert covering England until Friday, with the alert being maintained from Monday.

The agency advises people to look out for vulnerable friends and family in the cold and make sure they have warm food and drinks, adding that people should maintain indoor temperatures of at least 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 Fahrenheit).

UKHSA Consultant Public Health Medicine Dr Agostinho Souza said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung disease can be particularly at risk.

“If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you.

“In rooms you use mostly like the living room or bedroom, try to heat it to at least 18°C ​​if you can. Keep your bedroom windows closed at night. Wearing several layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer.”

Sentinels will be out to keep highways and major roads open, said Darren Clark, director of severe weather resilience for National Highways.

“National Highways is committed to addressing every road that needs addressing – as often as needed,” he said.

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