Saharan dust storm: When will the orange cloud reach Britain and will it rain red?
A huge plume of dust from the Sahara could give the skies over Britain an orange tinge and cover cars in dust, after turning the skies in Spain a dusty red.
In areas such as the Isle of Wight, local forecasters have reported the sky as having an 'orange hue'.
An atmospheric scientist has warned that air quality could dip in Britain, and that southern counties such as Kent will be worst affected.
The Met Office says that the plume has arrived over southern counties already, saying, "We can see the Saharan dust that has pushed across Spain and France, into south-east England.
“Whilst this dust is mostly about 2km above ground level, some deposits may fall to the ground, especially during today's rain in southern parts of the UK.”
Storm Celia blew the dust plume over Madrid, where it turned the skies a dusty red, and coated surfaces such as tables and cars in desert sand.
The dust has travelled more than 1,500 miles to the UK from Algeria and Morocco over the last two days.
What areas will be affected?
It’s not expected to be as severe in Britain as it was in Madrid, but a red tinge may be visible in the skies, according to Dr Claire Ryder, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading.
The cloud is forecast to stay over southern areas from Dorset to Suffolk, with the south-east counties, particularly Kent being worst affected.
Ryder said, “The main plume is forecast to remain over the continent with only the weaker edges grazing southern England. Dust amounts will likely be significantly lower over England compared to extremely dusty conditions currently being experienced over Spain and France.
“By evening the dust will have moved eastwards towards the Netherlands and Germany.”
In the Isle of Wight on Wednesday, the dust storm was already having visible effects.
Local forecaster Jamie Russell told the County Press: "We have a rather high concentration of it affecting the Island at the moment.
"Winds have swept it up into the atmosphere. It has been blown here on rather strong southerly winds and is visible as an orange hue in the sky.
"As the rain moves in, it will gradually wash it out of the sky, depositing it on cars and vehicles for a time, before being finally washed away by the cleaner air pushing in from the west."
“People are likely to see surfaces such as cars getting dusty and red, and air quality may be slightly lower than usual due to the dust particles in the air.”
What is Saharan dust?
Saharan dust is actually fairly common in the UK, the Met Office says, travelling to Britain when big dust storms in the Sahara happen at the same time as southerly wind patterns.
The Met Office said: "As in other parts of the world, the wind can blow strongly over deserts – whipping up dust and sand high into the sky. If the winds in the upper part of the atmosphere are blowing north, the dust can be carried as far as the UK."
"Once it is lifted from the ground by strong winds, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and be transported worldwide, covering thousands of miles."
Will it rain red?
It’s unlikely to ‘rain red’, but there may be visible traces of reddish dust on surfaces such as cars, Dr Ryder said.
Dr Ryder added: “People are likely to see surfaces such as cars getting dusty and red, and air quality may be slightly lower than usual due to the dust particles in the air.
The Met Office explained that Saharan dust gets ‘washed out’ of the sky by rain.
“As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust," it said.
Why does the sky turn orange?
The sky picks up a distinctive orange colour from the dust, which could be visible early on Wednesday morning, says Dr Ryder.
Dr Ryder said: "This is caused by the dust absorbing blue light from the sun and letting more red light through when the sun is low in the sky.
“By evening the dust will have moved eastwards towards the Netherlands and Germany."
Watch: Warning as dust cloud that turns skies orange heads for the UK
