UK weather forecast: Freezing fog set to descend this weekend as temperatures plummet to -8C

Drivers in central and eastern England warned against travel where possible due to poor visibility

Freezing fog, cold wind and icy conditions are expected to set in over the weekend as temperatures drop as low as -8C in parts of the UK.

The Met Office has issued a yellow fog warning for central and eastern England throughout Friday night and Saturday morning, urging drivers to avoid travel where possible due to the poor visibility.

“Although not all areas will be affected, fog patches, some dense with visibility below 100 metres, are expected to develop,” a spokesperson said. “Some places will hang on to grey and misty conditions all day.”

The fog is likely to persist throughout Saturday in northern England, particularly the Cumbria region, and will be “hard to budge”.

Sub-zero temperatures are also predicted for the next 48 hours as high pressure sweeps in from Iceland and Greenland, bringing with it dry weather and clear skies.

Southwestern England is set to avoid the cold snap and remain mild, but the rest of the UK can expect to face freezing conditions over the next two nights and early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning.

Temperatures are due to reach -8C overnight in rural Scotland and -6C in parts of northern England. Newcastle will experience lows of -2C while London will be just shy of freezing.

The drier conditions mark a departure from the recent wet weather and downpours, although the Met Office warns there could still be showers in certain parts of the country.

“There will be a few showers here and there around the northeast coast on Saturday, but for the rest it will be clear skies,” a spokesperson said.

“This weekend there is going to be a lot of dry weather but in the southwest it will be a wet and windy Saturday.

“Friday will be a transition day between the wet and mild weather we have had this week, to something a bit colder and drier.”

Snow is expected to fall in the hills of Scotland – 600m and above – through the latter part of the weekend and into Monday.

The cold snap comes after a month of torrential rain and widespread flooding.

Despite the dry weather, seven flood warnings and 79 alerts remain in place across the UK.