Blanket of fog to descend on Black Country as Met Office issues 19-hour weather warning
Fog is set to envelop the Black Country from Thursday afternoon, with the Met Office issuing a weather warning for the region.
A 19-hour yellow warning has been issued by weather forecasters who are expecting low cloud to once again descend on the region.
The warning begins at 4pm on Thursday and is due to remain in place until 11am on Friday, with the Met Office warning of "difficult travel conditions".
It's the second time a fog warning has been issued this week, after a nine-hour warning was put in place on Tuesday.
In its warning, forecasters said: "Areas of fog are likely to reform and expand Thursday evening with large areas of poor visibility and some places seeing less than 100 m visibility at times. The fog is likely to persist for many overnight but then clear from the east during Friday morning."
They also warn of slower journey times and potential delays to bus and train services.
The weather warning takes in much of the West Midlands, including the Black Country and parts of Staffordshire such as Stafford, Cannock and South Staffordshire. Fog is also set to cover Shropshire, Birmingham and Worcestershire.
The Met Office says the official definition of fog is a visibility of less than 1,000m. Although that is appropriate for aviation, experts say that an upper limit of 200m is a more realistic definition, and severe travel disruption occurs when visibility falls below 50m.
Drivers are told to use their lights as required in fog and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front as rear lights can "give a false sense of security".
Instructing drivers about driving in adverse weather conditions, the Highway Code says: "You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
The Highway Code adds: "You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves."
