Skies over Liverpool and Merseyside were tinted orange and pink as a Sahara dust storm moved through the UK.
The 'stunning' colours were spotted among the clouds across Merseyside on Wednesday, March 16. The beautiful colours were being caused by a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara desert being blow across Europe.
According to the Met Office dust clouds from the Sahara reach the UK several times a year. But the organisation has warned some of the dust may fall to the ground.
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A spokesperson from the Met Office said: "We can see the Saharan Dust that has pushed across Spain and France, into southeast England Whilst this dust is mostly about 2km above ground level, some deposits may fall to the ground, especially during today's rain in southern parts of the UK."
Hundreds of people took to social media to ask why the sky looked so 'brilliant' and shared pictures.
Keith Jones said "Brilliant night sky", while Twitter user Sophie2405 added "Tonight’s sky is so pretty, no filter."
As well as being linked to colourful skies, these dust clouds can affect air quality. The European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said it is tracking the large cloud that has “degraded air quality across large parts of Spain, Portugal and France”.
While Spain is bearing the brunt of the storm, the dust spread much further afield. Spain’s national weather service said the particles could reach as far north as the Netherlands and western Germany.
