Memorable Foggy Spells

[Weather-history]

I can't recall of any prolonged  fog spells.  I posted this 15 years ago of a 10 day pea-souper that affected the Manchester area.  I think the clean air act has put an end to really prolonged spells ot at least reduced their chances.

 

[Weather-history]

On 28/10/2023 at 23:26, MP-R said:

I’d like to know this too. Another thing I’ve noticed is that fog has been more common in Nov and Dec anticyclones, but Jan and Feb anticyclones are much brighter. Less moisture around as winter goes on perhaps?

 

16 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Fog definitely seems much less frequent now compared to the 80s and early 90s. This could perhaps be due to a change in my location (from inland Sussex to coastal Hampshire) but also I get the impression the 80s and early 90s had more settled spells in the winter months than has been the case since.

As for notable foggy spells, the Decembers of 1991 and 1992 (late month) come to mind. Both also featured intense frost and unseasonably sunny weather on days the fog did not form.

 

The clean air act must have a huge impact, has fog frequency decreased since this act came into force? The density of it has because  you never hear stories of people getting loss in towns and cities because you can't see in front of your face.

I've had a thought.  What were fog levels like in the UK before the industrial revolution? Did prolonged fog spells existed before this?  I doubt they got the pea-soupers that we got during 1800s-1960s.

I'll have a recheck but I don't recall much talk of fog during the famous frost fairs of yesteryear.

[MP-R]

From memory (but also with a little help of my data spreadsheets), these spells come to mind for my area:

Jan 2017 - various dates scattered throughout the month

29th Nov - 02nd Dec 2016

01st-03rd Nov 2015

28th-30th Nov 2014

09th-11th Dec 2013

Nov 2011 - various dates during the middle part of the month

06th-08th Dec 2010 - freezing fog

29th Dec 2008 - 10th Jan 2009 - quite a number of fog instances, freezing fog on the 01st, 04th and 09th

16th-21st Dec 2007 - various instances of fog during an inversion cold period

20th-23rd Dec 2006 - famous foggy spell in the lead up to Christmas

01st-03rd Feb 2006 - freezing fog and snow crystals

19th-23rd Nov 2005

09th-10th Dec 2003

[damianslaw]

Decembers 2006 and 2007 were very foggy, I was living and working in Tyne and Wear at the time.

We've had little foggy spells since, the Lake District tends to see more mist than fog, but the valleys can see freezing fog persist under high pressure in winter.

We have many days every winter when the mist cloaks everything in a dank cold surface, quite miserable.

I recall many more fogs back in the 80s and early 90s. 

December 96 was a foggy/misty month. 

Decembers 91 and 92 as well.