Yellow fog warning for Birmingham from midnight until 10am on Remembrance Sunday

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for fog covering Birmingham from midnight tonight until 10am on Sunday, as the calm, high-pressure weather that has kept the city dry this week brings a murky start to Remembrance Sunday. Forecasters say there is a high chance of fog, dense in places, which could disrupt travel by road, rail and air, Birmingham Live reports.

The warning covers a large part of England, from Exeter across to just north of Brighton and as far north as Stoke, including Birmingham, the Black Country, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. London is not included.

What to expect

The Met Office says patchy, dense fog will develop during Saturday night, with visibility falling to less than 50 metres in places. "Fog is expected to become increasingly widespread within this area during the second half of the night before only slowly clearing during Sunday morning," it said, adding that clearance will be slowest across parts of the West Country and central southern England.

The warning puts the chance of fog at 50 to 75 per cent. It means flights from Birmingham Airport could be delayed, and buses and trains may run late.

For the rest of the weekend, the outlook is unchanged: largely dry, often cloudy and chilly, with temperatures struggling to get much above 9C to 11C. Once the fog lifts on Sunday, forecasters still expect some brighter spells and sunshine in the afternoon.

Travelling to Remembrance services

Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, and many people will be setting off early for services, parades and wreath-laying at war memorials across Birmingham, including the city's main service on Colmore Row, opposite St Philip's Cathedral, where road closures start at 6am. Fog is usually thickest around dawn, so anyone travelling should allow extra time.

The Met Office's advice is practical:

• check road conditions before you drive, and leave more time for your journey;
• make sure you know how to switch on your fog lights, and that they work, before setting off;
• slow down, leave a bigger gap to the vehicle in front and use dipped headlights;
• check with your bus or train company, or airline, for updates if you are travelling.

Fog lights should be switched off once visibility improves, as they can dazzle other drivers.

Why fog, and why now?

Fog forms when moist air near the ground cools overnight to the point where water vapour condenses into tiny droplets. Under high pressure, the air is still, the skies can clear at night, and there is little wind to mix the damp air away, so long November nights are ideal for it to form and slow to clear.

It is a sign of a change, too. After an unusually settled spell, forecasters expect the breeze to start picking up from the south-west towards the end of Sunday, the first sign of more changeable weather next week.

For most people, a foggy start will mean nothing worse than a slow journey and a chilly, atmospheric morning.