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Red Sun returns: Eerie yellow sky could come back to UK tomorrow

Fiery flow caused by Hurricane Ophelia pulling in tropical air from the Sahara

Lydia Smith
Wednesday 18 October 2017 16:45 BST
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Red sun spotted in the sky over Bromsgrove in Worcestershire
Red sun spotted in the sky over Bromsgrove in Worcestershire (Jon Freeman/Alamy Live News)

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The unusual red-looking sun and orange sky reported across many parts of England could return tomorrow.

The phenomenon was initially seen in the west of England and Wales, before it spread to other areas.

Meteorologists have attributed the red sun and sky to Hurricane Ophelia, which whipped up air and dust from the Sahara desert.

Debris from forest fires in Portugal and Spain are also believed to have added to the effect.

A spokesperson at the Met Office told the Independent there is still some “Saharan dust” around at the moment, which could result in the sun appearing red on Thursday.

The effect will however not be as dramatic as earlier this week, they added, as the weather is changing.

Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said the red sun is caused by Ophelia pulling in tropical air from the Sahara.

“It's all connected with Ophelia, on the eastern side of the low pressure system air is coming up in the southern direction,” he said earlier this week.

“Air is being pulled from southern Europe and Africa and that air contains a lot of dust.

“So it's most likely the appearance of sunset at midday is caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun.”

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