THE MET Office has released a satellite image showing a cloud of Saharan dust particles hovering over the UK.
Some may have already noticed that the skies appear somewhat hazier than usual.
The uploaded a of the dust clouds heading for the UK to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.
Vast dust clouds can be seen travelling through and Northern Ireland, towards the west country.
caused the dust particles to blow northwards to the UK.
This temporary phenomenon is called , it is when dust travels over from North .
During these occurrences we tend to see or even “blood rain”.
Blood rain is made from sand and dust, gathered from the Sahara.
It’s actually quite common for, in fact, it happens several times a year.
However, these occurrences can pose risks for some living with lung conditions like .
This is because the dust particles act as an irritant, leaving vulnerable people struggling for breath, wheezing and coughing.
Karen Spillett, deputy head of health advice at Asthma + Lung UK, has advised people with lung conditions to be cautious and stay indoors.
She said: “If you have a you might find that the fine dust particles from the Sahara cause irritation to your lungs.
“Fine particles in the air can leave you struggling for breath, and at increased risk of asthma attacks and flare-ups of other lung conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“If the Saharan dust cloud does reach the UK, people with lung conditions should be extra cautious and stay indoors.
“Keep your windows and doors shut if possible and ensure you have your reliever inhaler with you to treat symptoms if you go out.
“If you have a lung condition, ensure you take your preventer medication every day as prescribed, follow your asthma action plan and know what to do if you have an asthma attack or flare-up.”
For more advice on how to deal with asthma attacks, visit this link.
It comes after in January last year.
Met Office meteorologist Nicola Maxey said that while air quality could be affected it was unlikely to have much of an impact.
Earlier that month, the forecaster shared a satellite image of a huge cloud of.
A post on X, formerly, read: “This amazing image captures a plume of Saharan dust moving out of Africa and into the Atlantic.
“Some of this dust will make its way towards us over the coming days…”
Ms Maxey told Flying Eze Online: “It happens a number of times a year. It’s actually relatively common.”;
However, the right weather conditions are needed for it to be noticeable – a combination of winds blowing in the direction of the UK and the right amount of rain.
Some rain is needed to help bring the dust to land although if it is too heavy it just washes the dust away and it not really noticeable.
It comes after similar dust clouds hit the UK inbut there was also one in
