Red dust and yellow sky explained
Dust from the Sahara has arrived in the south
Last updated 16th Mar 2022
The Met Office has explained why so many cars across the south have been covered in a red dust this morning.
Sand from the Sahara Desert has pushed up across Spain, France and the south east of England.
How does it get to the UK?
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.
In order for the dust to get from up in the sky down to the ground, you need something to wash it out of the sky - 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.