Met Office explains why your car is suddenly dirty today

Some said it looked like their car had been 'driven through a dirt track'

Weirdly, it's been caused by rain.

Many took to social media on Thursday morning to voice their bemusement at why their car appeared dirty or dusty.

One person posted: "What’s with this dirty rain, my car looks like I’ve been driving through muddy puddles"

Another said: "Did anyone wake up to their car looking like it had been driven through a dirt track?"

A third wrote: "What is this dirty rain, why is there brown water residue on all the cars?"

The Met Office has since explained what exactly it is that causes this 'dirty rain.'

They explained that it's due to dust from the Sahara desert passing over the UK.

When sand and dust is whipped up by strong winds in the desert rose, it can rise into the upper part of the atmosphere and be blown thousands of miles across the globe.

This dust can then be washed out of the sky by rain as the raindrops collect particles of the dust and bring it back down to earth.

Then, when the drops land and evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust.

The phenomenon is quite common in the UK and will often happen several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns.

In more extreme scenarios, the rain can appear brown or red, and is therefore given the name 'blood rain.'

Related links:

Scientists say some people have the ability to smell when rain is coming