Rare pink fog descends on Britain leaving locals baffled

BRITS were baffled to wake up this morning and see pink and purple hued fog had descended on parts of the country.

The rare phenomenon occurs when light passes through dust, moisture or other material in the air, the Met Office says.

Yellow weather warnings for heavy rain were issued today and will remain in effect until tomorrow evening with 97 flood alerts and six flood warnings also in place.

Heavy rain is set to lash the Southern coast and cause disruption to travel and a “danger to life” from fast flowing floodwater.

A yellow weather warning for rain is in place over Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.

It was issued by the forecaster at 10am and will remain in effect until 7pm tomorrow.

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A similar yellow weather warning has been put in place over South-East England affecting the region from 9am today until 9pm tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and parts of London, a rare phenomenon was spotted by thousands of baffled Brits.

Vibrant pink clouds descended on the country but have since passed with skies clearing later in the morning.

Pink fog occurs when sunlight is scattered by particles in the air, dispersing green and blue wavelengths while leaving longer red wavelengths of light to hit people’s eyes.

While rare, the spectacular pink fog spotted by some people in the UK this morning is not unheard of.

A spokesperson for the Met Office explained: “When sunlight passes through fog the water droplets that make up the fog layer scatter the sunlight.

“Short wavelengths of light (blue/green for example) are scattered most.

“This leaves behind the longer red/pink wavelengths which then enter our eyes creating the pink look to the sky.”

Dozens of social media users shared snaps of the phenomenon online, expressing their awe at the bizarre colour of the fog.

One user said: “Pink fog today in London. So strange. Going out for a run in a bit. Looks like I’m running through candy floss!”

Another added: “It doesn’t photograph well, unfortunately, but thick fog lit up by a pink sunrise is one of the strangest things I’ve seen for a while.”

While a third posted: “It was soooo pink this morning in Hertfordshire.”

The striking pink fog has been seen in the UK before with parts of the country experiencing the bizarre phenomenon back in 2019.

Last time the country was blanketed in the vibrant fog travel was similarly disrupted.

The fog caused disruption for a number of airports in London as it loomed over the capital.

The UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, had 41 departures delayed by at least 15 minutes when the pink fog last appeared.

There were also a total of 35 departures at Gatwick delayed over the same period.

Today the Met Office has warned that flooding of homes and businesses is likely as heavy rainfall lashes the South.

Brits are being told to prepare for travel disruption amid the poor festive season weather.

This evening thunder and heavy showers are expected in parts of the Northwest as the stormy weather continues to batter the UK.

The Environment Agency has put a staggering 97 flood alerts in place alongside six, more severe, flood warnings.

Yesterday a yellow weather warning for flooding was issued with clouds floating over parts of the country persisting into this morning when the pink fog was spotted.