Residents across the north-east have been puzzled by a sprinkling of dust all over their cars and windows.
It has left many in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in a pickle as to what it may be, as they headed out to their vehicles for the first time today.
The dust has come from the Sahara desert in northern Africa, after moving through the air across Europe and to the UK.
Lots of people have taken to social media to share pictures of their mucky cars, with quite a few adding that they only just washed their cars earlier this week.
What is Saharan dust?
Saharan dust is a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara, the vast desert area that covers most of North Africa.
It is relatively common in the UK, happening several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns.
In order for the dust to get from up in the sky to the ground, rain is needed.
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.
The Met Office shared satellite pictures that showed clouds of dust approaching the UK from the east.
👀 Have you noticed a hazy look to the sky today?
In some places this was due to Saharan dust – as seen here from space earlier today⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4id8Tm3QjR
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 6, 2023
John Buchan from Peterhead and Nicola Cruden who lives in St Fergus both woke up to their cars completely covered in the Saharan dust.
Take a closer look at the dust on each vehicle from our images below.
Has your car been covered in dust from the Saharan dust cloud? Let us know in the comments below.
