Saharan dust moving on after landing on cars in Ireland 

A map showing the Saharan dust making its way towards Ireland. Picture: Carlow Weather/X

A wave of Saharan dust landed in parts of the country on Sunday night, covering many cars in a thin layer of dust.

The dust, which is more commonly found in Ireland during the summer months, is caused by strong winds blowing from Africa towards the country.

Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather says the dust falls as rainfall when it reaches Ireland.

The dust remains on outdoor surfaces, needing careful cleaning to remove any traces.

“Car washes will be busy after a quiet weekend,” Mr O’Reilly added.

Photo of my car just now shows the rain brought down the Saharan Dust as forecast but it will move away by morning. Car washes will be busy after a quiet weekend 😁 pic.twitter.com/Ceq2UvZ4fr

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) January 28, 2024

Meanwhile, temperatures are set to plummet on Monday night with the mercury expected to fall to lows of -3C to 2C. 

While it will be cold, it will be mostly dry with "clear skies allowing frost and ice to develop widely," according to Met Éireann.

Tuesday will start as a crisp day with frost and ice clearing to leave dry but chilly weather in most places. Temperatures will again hit freezing with lows of 0C to 6C on Tuesday night, while it will again be mostly dry. 

There will be "some bright or sunny spells" on Wednesday morning, but that will all change when "cloud increases and a band of rain moves down from the northwest". It will be milder with temperatures hitting 10C to 12C. 

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