People in parts of Wales have woken up to a mysterious looking dust covering their cars, but it’s nothing to worry about - it’s brought about by the warm temperatures and has actually travelled all the way from the Sahara. With the whole country enjoying a burst of warm weather and sunshine which has so far made September much more pleasant than July and August, we’ve become accustomed to sunny evenings and picturesque sunsets, created when clear skies combine with what is known as Saharan dust.
BBC weatherman Derek Brockway warned us earlier this week that a plume of the African dust would hit the
UK, and many have seen examples of it on Thursday morning. One Swansea motorist performed an unexpected early-morning car clean before heading off to work as his windscreen, bonnet and car doors were covered in dust. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here . The dust has fallen all over the UK, as another driver posted a picture of his car on
Social Media on Thursday and said: “The Saharan dust deposits on my car this morning are wild.” So what exactly is Saharan dust, what causes it and how does it get to the UK? Read more: Street left patchy after road is resurfaced around parked cars According to the Met Office, the substance is a mixture of sand and dust which emanates from the Sahara, the desert which covers most of North Africa. Despite being a long way away from the UK, the dust is blown into the sky and across Europe. A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “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. (Image: Media Wales) A car parked in Swansea on Thursday morning (Image: Media Wales) "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.” Despite dust-covered cars being something of a peculiar sight in this country, Saharan dust is relatively common in the UK. It can be seen several times a year when dust storms in the Sahara combine with southerly wind patterns. There’s a possibility that more could be seen in the coming days, with the Met Office forecast for Thursday to Saturday reading: “Staying generally fine. A chance of mist and fog at times, keeping it cooler in places, but remaining very warm for most. A risk of showers into Friday and Saturday.” Keep up to date with the latest weather where you live: