After days on end of snow warnings and wintry forecasts, pouring rain will wash over almost all of the UK on Tuesday. When the weather is cold and wet, there’s one big problem which drivers battle with: condensation.
Wintry weather makes driving difficult at the best of times, including with flash flooding, ice, snow and sleet all affecting your grip, your car’s performance and your visibility. But it also brings another problem - condensation inside your car.
That’s why drivers are being urged to use salt in their car when the weather is cold and wet, as it’s a cheap and simple way to capture condensation before it forms, by drawing moisture out of the air.
Condensation forms when the warm air inside your car hits the cold surface of the glass, forming water which turns into mist as it cools.
It forms overnight when temperatures are low, and it is a bigger problem in cold and wet weather, such as that we’ve been experiencing this week and will have to contend with again next week.
The Met Office said in its forecast from Monday: “Cyclonic patterns are expected to dominate across the UK during mid-February. Frontal systems over the Atlantic are likely to approach the UK at times, tending to become slow-moving as they encounter a blocking area of high pressure to the northeast.
“This will result in showers or longer spells of rain spreading across the UK, these heavy at times. Rainfall amounts will probably be highest in parts of the west, including across areas already sensitive to flooding.
“As these bands of rain spread northwards, snow is possible across northern England and Scotland, mainly over high ground. Strong winds could develop in places, especially coasts. Temperatures will probably be close to normal overall, with any cold conditions more likely in the north.”
And on its weather map for Tuesday, almost the entire country is set to be deluged with rain, including all of England, all of Scotland, all of Northern Ireland and most of Wales.
John Wilmot, CEO of the vehicle leasing company LeaseLoco.com, urged drivers to put a bowl of salt in their car.He advised: "Placing a small bowl of salt in your car overnight is a clever way to help with this problem as it absorbs any excess moisture in the air that is making the problem worse."This is a great trick for when the temperatures drop and can save you time in the mornings."