A SAHARAN dust cloud has been making its way over to the UK and could hit in the coming days.
The huge plume will descend onto the country covering cars in layers of dust, the Met Office has revealed.
Met OfficeA sand cloud is making its way towards the UK[/caption]
The cloud is expected to arrive this weekend and leave dust on top of cars. Pictured, clouds of dust covered London in 2022
The Met Office shared a satellite image of a huge cloud of dust moving across the Atlantic ocean today.
The post on X/formerly Twitter, read: “This amazing image captures a plume of Saharan dust moving out of Africa and into the Atlantic.
“Some of this dust will make it’s way towards us over the coming days…”
A follow up post revealed: “Southerly winds will push some of the dust towards the UK later this weekend.”
It added: “Watch out for enhanced sunsets and sunrises.”
“Perhaps some dust deposits on cars with any passing rain.”
X users flocked to the comments section to share their frustration.
“Great, just as I washed my car!” wrote one.
“Nooo. Please no! Almost finished power washing all the patios… it takes an age! Great image though!” pleaded another.
A third complained: “I just spent hours washing my car today.”
The UK last saw a similar dust cloud in 2022 but there was also one in 2019.
The clouds often bring with them urgent health alerts as they can trigger severe asthma attacks, experts have warned.
It comes as Storm Isha and storm Storm Jocelyn wreaked havoc across the UK.
Both storms saw winds reaching up to 120mph and disrupted travel plans for millions of people.
What is saharan dust and how does it reach the UK?
SAHARAN dust clouds are a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara, a desert area that covers most of North Africa.
Strong winds can collect sand from the desert high into the sky and into the upper atmosphere.
Once it has been lifted off the ground, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and be transported worldwide.
For the dust to get from up in the sky down to the ground, it needs to rain.
As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down.
When the raindrops land and evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust.
Saharan dust reaches the UK around several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns.
In certain weather situations, Saharan dust can also affect air pollution and pollution levels.
Source: Met Office
X users expressed frustration at the news of the cloud (picture taken in 2020) Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
