The day the sky turned red - but what caused rare phenomenon?
Did you wake up to a ghostly red sun today or witness a strange red hue to the sky on your lunch break or as you left work? Many people in England reported the phenomenon on Monday morning - and it appears to have been caused by Hurricane Ophelia.
The unusual phenomenon has been seen across the country, starting in the west of the country before sweeping across to the Capital.
Many posted pictures of the bizarre sighting on social media, wondering if it is a sign of the oncoming storm.
Some areas have been forced to turn on street lights in the middle of the day as the dust partially blocked out the sun.
The strange red tint was in the air, and the sun glowed an angry red.
Sharon Derrick shared a video of the sun over Bristol and said: "Bristol looks like the film The Red Planet... the weather is bizarre."
One woman wrote on Instagram: "It looks like the apocalypse is coming! Anyone else seen the amazing red sun due to the dust storm from the Azores? That combined with the really warm, strong winds, make it feel very eerie outside today! Keep safe everyone".
So why did it occur?
According to the Met Office, the red sun is caused by winds pulling up Saharan dust.
This dust is then reflected and refracted in longer wavelengths, giving a red appearance to the sky.
Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said the former hurricane is pulling air and dust up from southern Europe and Africa.
"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.
It’s suddenly gone very dark and gloomy in Westminster. �� pic.twitter.com/a29EDBV2Fq
— Michael Fabricant (@Mike_Fabricant) October 16, 2017
"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.
"It's certainly spectacular at the moment and quite a talking point, we've had a lot of calls about it."
BBC weather presenter Simon King said: "Ophelia originated in the Azores where it was a hurricane and as it tracked its way northwards it dragged in tropical air from the Sahara.
"The dust gets picked up into the air and goes high up into the atmosphere, and that dust has been dragged high up in the atmosphere above the UK.
"Because the dust is so high, light from the sun is scattered in the longer wavelengths, which is more the red part of the spectrum, so it appears red to our eyes."
Ophelia has pulled in unseasonably warm air up from Spain and North Africa, bringing temperatures in the early 20s over the weekend.
Huge forest fires have also swept across central Portugal and west central Spain, killing at least nine people and filling the sky with ash and smoke.
The finer particles of that ash will have already been blown over the Bay of Biscay and is currently filling the upper atmosphere over Bristol and the south west.
The air is safe to breathe, according to the Met Office, as the particles are high up in the atmosphere.
How did people react?
#redsky has reached London. Weird. #nofilterpic.twitter.com/eWe7E568Cs
— Jez Halford (@jezhalford) October 16, 2017
While you're all worrying about the red sky, a Labour MP has just informed the Commons that "zombies are running wild" in his constituency
— Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) October 16, 2017
In this strange light, Parliament has the same hue as the Las Vegas scenes in Blade Runner, which doesn't bode well. pic.twitter.com/mw52f6IJ92
— Karen Buck (@KarenPBuckMP) October 16, 2017
London now has its own Instagram filter. Sigh. pic.twitter.com/F2LytBCE2K
— Josh Barrie (@joshbythesea) October 16, 2017
A post shared by Rebecca-Jane Collins (@life.at.lilac.villa) on Oct 16, 2017 at 3:47am PDT
A post shared by Hitchings Weddings (@kenhitchings) on Oct 16, 2017 at 3:49am PDT
What’s with the #red#sun in #Somerset this morning? influence of #hurricane#Ophelia? pic.twitter.com/ZxDuvjQlUH
— Jacqueline Breslin (@re_envision101) October 16, 2017
Amazing red sun this morning here on the levels!! #storm ex Ophelia #sunpic.twitter.com/cQZp6B65LW
— Erica Sharpe art! (@ericadrawing) October 16, 2017
A post shared by Jaders9 (@jaders9) on Oct 16, 2017 at 3:52am PDT
The yellow-green veil of #Ophelia has fallen across @Gatwick_Airportpic.twitter.com/Jkl311uHgE
— CharlotteH (@5132N) October 16, 2017
is this the end pic.twitter.com/60ny5XpEKr
— anna leszkiewicz (@annaleszkie) October 16, 2017