Hurricane Ophelia is bringing air and dust from thousands of miles away – changing the colour of the sun and sky in the process.
The particles are messing with how light is scattered giving the appearance of a red setting sun in the middle of the day.
The phenomemon was seen in Dumfries and Galloway with Herald reader Cat Galloway sending in a set of stunning images.
The sight was also seen over Yorkshire, the Midlands and south west with people sharing photos and video online of the phenomenon.
Sharon Derrick shared a video of the sun over Bristol and said: “Bristol looks like the film The Red Planet… the weather is bizarre.”
On Twitter, Professor Brian Cox explained it as “dust in the atmosphere” as his followers quizzed him about the strange sight.
Dust in the atmosphere I suspect.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) October 16, 2017
Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said: “It’s all connected with Ophelia, on the eastern side of the low pressure system air is coming up in the southern direction.
“Air is being pulled from southern Europe and Africa and that air contains a lot of dust.
#HurricaneSun over #Taunton #Somerset today ☀️ #nofilter #nikonp900 pic.twitter.com/2XJPiy7K1S
— Wayne Guns (@Wayguns) October 16, 2017
“It’s most likely the appearance of sunset at midday is caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun.
“It’s certainly spectacular at the moment and quite a talking point, we’ve had a lot of calls about it.”
A charity has warned those with severe asthma to check forecasts and stay indoors where possible to avoid the dust.
Sonia Munde, head of the helpline at Asthma UK, said: "We are deeply concerned about the toxic air from Saharan dust that Hurricane Ophelia has churned up, as this could pose a severe risk for the 5.4 million people in the UK who have asthma.
"Winds picking up dust and particles in the air could trigger potentially fatal asthma attacks."
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