UPDATE: |Met Office map shows huge plume of Saharan dust approaching UK News

Make plans for a trip to the car wash this weekend

A new map published on social media by the Met Office shows a huge swathe of Saharan dust particles bound for the UK.

If you recall a couple of occasions in recent years where you’ve stepped outside in the morning to find your driveway and car covered in a strange bronze-coloured residue, you’re already familiar with the phenomenon of Saharan dust.

Also referred to as ‘blood rain’, Saharan dust is a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara – the vast desert area that covers most of North Africa.

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.

This occurrence is more frequent in spring and autumn when the weather conditions are right for the dust to be transported northward.

Once it is lifted from the ground by strong winds, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and cover 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.

Saharan dust is relatively common in the UK, often happening several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns.

This satellite image shared on X by the Met Office shows a Saharan dust cloud currently traveling across Ireland, meaning that we can expect to get hit by it on these shores in the coming days.

Have you noticed skies becoming a little hazy towards the west? Strong winds across the Sahara have transported particles of dust northwards, which can be seen on satellite imagery from earlier this morning over the UK pic.twitter.com/lRXcX9RhaO

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 7, 2025

If you were planning a trip to the car wash tomorrow, maybe wait another day or two.