The Met Office has issued a significant yellow weather warning for dense fog across parts of England and Wales, raising the prospect of travel chaos, including potential flight delays and cancellations at major northern airports.
Warning Details and Affected Regions
The warning is active until 7am on Friday, 16 January 2026. It covers a large swathe of Wales north of Merthyr Tydfil, sections of the West Midlands, and areas of North West England between Hereford and Lancaster. Forecasters state that fog patches will become widespread and dense during Thursday evening, with visibility potentially dropping below 100 metres in some locations.
Air Travel Disruption Risk
The warning has direct implications for air travel. Current forecasts indicate a specific risk at two major transport hubs.
The latest Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for Manchester Airport suggests conditions will deteriorate overnight, with a 40% probability of dense fog developing. This could reduce visibility to as low as 300 metres.
Similarly, Liverpool John Lennon Airport is facing a 30% risk of fog forming below 300 metres. While visibility is expected to improve by Friday morning, the overnight and early morning conditions have the clear potential to disrupt flight schedules for both arrivals and departures.
Broader Travel Advice and Other Warnings
The Met Office has issued broad advice to the public, warning that bus and train services could also be affected alongside flights and ferry travel. Drivers are strongly urged to check local conditions before setting out on journeys.
In a separate alert, the forecaster also had a yellow warning for rain in place across much of southern and southeastern England until 10pm on Thursday. This warned of potential flooding from heavy rain on saturated ground, with isolated spots possibly seeing 4 to 5cm of rainfall and coastal gusts of around 50mph.
As of Thursday evening, both Manchester and Liverpool airports had not issued formal warnings, and departure boards remained unchanged. However, passengers with travel plans for Friday morning are advised to monitor their flight status closely and allow extra time due to the challenging forecast conditions.
