Brits face the hottest day of the year this week after Saharan dust turned skies orange

Don't get the barbecues out just yet though

The UK is set to experience its hottest day of the year this week, with temperatures potentially reaching 18C. The rise in temperatures comes as a Saharan dust cloud makes its way across Europe, turning skies orange in Britain, Spain, and France. On Wednesday, people in London, Sussex, and Kent reported seeing sepia-coloured skies thanks to the dust, which sits around 2km above ground level. The dust cloud was caused by Storm Celia, and some areas of the UK saw wet weather as a result of this on Wednesday evening. https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1504045124610891776 But thanks to the high-pressure building behind this wet weather, the country could see some balmy conditions over the weekend. Met Office meteorologist, Dan Stroud, told the Sun: "We are likely to see some very pleasant spring sunshine, especially for the London and southeast area, during the course of the Saturday. "We're looking at temperatures of up to 16, 17, and perhaps even a rounded 18C could be possible." And Met Office forecaster Clare Nasir said that the weekend looks like it will be "fine and dry, much warmer with some sunshine," the Mirror reports. The hottest day of the year so far in 2022 was recorded in Pershore, Worcestershire, where temperatures reached 17.2C last month. Don't expect the sun to hang around for long though. The Met Office says that "showers and areas of rain moving erratically northwards Sunday and Monday, subduing temperatures somewhat." Related links:

• Environmental activist tries to handcuff himself to goal during Arsenal vs Liverpool clash
• Exoplanet dubbed 'hot Jupiter' has metal clouds and raining gems
• Russian troops stuck in 40-mile convoy could freeze to death in ‘metal tanks'