BUCKS has woken up to a thick blanket of fog covering villages, towns and cities once again.

Large swathes of the area including Flackwell Heath and High Wycombe were surprised to see not a lot this morning.

Drivers on the roads, travelling to and from work, reported low visibility as the fog took hold at around 8am.

Such fog remains in the air today, although there is no official weather warning in place for the region for such weather. 

But why is it so foggy and what causes so much of it to build? Well if you're wondering, we've put together some of answers to those questions.

What causes fog?

Fog is essentially a cloud at ground level that causes visibility to reduce to less than 1000 metres.

Fog is caused by tiny water droplets being condensed and then effectively remaining suspended in the air.

In recent days, the weather across parts of Buckinghamshire has been mild, which could also explain why we are now experiencing fog.

The Met Office said: "When some of the relatively warm water evaporates into low air layers, it warms the air, causing it to rise and mix with the cooler air that has passed over the surface.

"The warm, moist air cools as it mixes with the colder air, allowing condensation and fog to occur."

What is the difference between fog and mist? 

The Met Office says fog, mist and haze can all affect visibility in different ways - from driving conditions to shipping and aviation.

Fog and mist differ by how far you can see through them, according to the weather agency. 

Fog is when you can see less than 1,000 metres away, and if you can see further than 1,000 metres, it is called mist.

Weather forecast for Buckinghamshire

The Met Office has forecast a week of murky weather with large areas of low cloud and fog across the region today.

In Monday's forecast, the Met Office said: “Murky with some fog. Patchy rain into the evening."

It goes on to say that tonight, extensive low cloud and fog will give way to a band of rain and drizzle, clearing towards dawn.

Tomorrow's forecast adds: "Cloudy and windy as a band of occasionally heavy rain moves northeastwards. Becoming clearer and cooler in the west later on, with the arrival of scattered heavy showers. Maximum temperature 15 °C"