The day Britain turned orange
Gathering storm: Churchill’s statue and Parliament silhouetted against the orange skies that covered much of Britain yesterday
IF you’re reading this, then you’ll know that the world didn’t end yesterday. But for a time, it looked like it might...
An intense sun turned the sky a hazy orange-yellow over many areas, leading scores to post pictures of the apocalyptic skyline on social media.
The eerie phenomenon was seen in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Surrey as well as London, Kent, the Midlands and as far north as Scotland. Other parts reported dark, almost eclipse-like skies.
Weather experts said that Storm Ophelia – which battered Ireland with 110mph winds yesterday, leaving three dead – was to blame.
Smoke from wildfires raging across Portugal and Spain, as well as dust and sand from the Sahara desert, were swept into the atmosphere by the storm. The dust particles filtered out blue and violet light, allowing only red and orange to shine through, meaning the sun looked similar to how it does at sunset or sunrise.
The strange weather left cars covered in dust and forced planes to make emergency landings after reports of ‘burning smells’ or ‘smoke in the cockpit’.
The same winds also brought unseasonably warm temperatures in southern and eastern England of 68F (20C), well above the average maximum of 57F (14C).
It was a far bleaker picture in Ireland where Ophelia devastated much of the south-west of the country after making its way across the Atlantic. Two died when trees hit their cars, and a man in his thirties was killed in a chainsaw accident as he tried to clear a tree which had blown down in County Tipperary.
An unprecedented red alert was issued for the whole of the Republic with people told to stay indoors and not travel unless absolutely necessary. At least 120,000 homes and businesses were without power.
The storm also caused havoc in Wales and along the west coast from Cornwall to Scotland.
In Manchester the wind ripped off shop facades and sent street furniture scattering, while 200 properties in Wales suffered power cuts.
A yellow warning for high winds is in place for much of Wales, Scotland, and north- east, north-west and south-west England and the West Midlands.