Express & Star

Saharan dust: Weather experts spot huge desert dust clouds heading to the UK

European sky scientists say we can expect more Saharan dust in the atmosphere over the Midlands in the next few days.

Published
Saharan dust on a car during a recent weather event

But at the moment the Met Office says there is still uncertainty over whether any of the dust will hit the ground or stay elevated in the atmosphere.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) is a part of the European Union's Earth observation programme and is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its member states.

Mark Parrington, a senior scientist with CAMS has tweeted that a period of Saharan Dust across North West Europe, including the UK, is set to be followed by long-range transport of a "very high" concentration of dust.

The service has issued a regional ensemble forecast from October 8 until later this week which shows a cloud of the dust moving across the UK over the next few days.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "Our model output is showing Saharan dust over some parts of the UK this week at elevated levels in the atmosphere, probably peaking on Wednesday afternoon in the south. There is still some uncertainty though if this will reach the surface or remain an elevated event."

Last month dust carried across from Africa fell on swathes of the UK in the form of Saharan sand mixed in with rain, leaving many with grubby cars and windows.