London's Reddish Sky Has Scientific Explanation

The sky over London was looking downright eerie on Monday. The Guardian has an apocalypse comparison, while Ars Technica settles for something more like Blade Runner. The real reason? Ophelia. The hurricane-turned-cyclone has been churning up dust from the African Sahara in the atmosphere, the result being the orange and sepia tones overhead. "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,” explains a meteorologist. “That dust has been dragged high up in the atmosphere above the UK.” Also at play: Smoke from fires in Portugal. (More London stories.)