Motorists across the country woke up on this week to find their cars coated with a thin layer of Saharan dust.
A sandstorm in the Saharan region has left cars across the UK covered in dust. Tiny red grains from North Africa were transported thousands of miles across to Britain, due to an unusual weather pattern. The dust dropped from the atmosphere due to light rain and the wind from the south/south-east.
Emma Sharples, from the Met office, said: “You need a light rain, not too much — just enough to bring it down and then when it dries out it leaves that residue on cars.”
Ms Sharples added: “It’s probably because the rain is not that heavy that it does not get brought down and washed off straight away.”
A spokesman for the forecasters said this happens quite a few times a year. Lots of drivers took to Twitter to express their annoyance over the dust. Charlie Livesey (@cllivesey) tweeted: “Sods lawn — wash the car and the next day it’s covered in a film of dirt from the Sahara”
Sarah Douglas (@TheSarahDouglas) tweeted: “So it wasn’t the local road sweeper who covered my clean car in dust. It was sand from Sahara blown into the Midlands and MY car.”
Other drivers, however, didn’t seem to mind. @Dan_James89 tweeted a picture of the pop legend Prince underneath the caption: “I only want to see you dancing in Sahara rain! Sahara rain, Sahara rain!”
The dust and sand from Sahara desert will continue to be transported towards the UK over the next few days by southerly winds.
Was your car affected by the Saharan dust? Tweet us your pictures at @RecombuCars or leave us a comment below.
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