London sky turns yellow as storm blows in Saharan dust, Spanish smoke

People walk through Canary Wharf while the sky overhead turns red as dust from the Sahara carried by storm Ophelia filters sunlight over London, Britain, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Tom Jacobs

LONDON (Reuters) - The sky over London turned an unusual shade of yellow on Monday as Storm Ophelia brought dust from the Sahara and smoke from wild fires in southern Europe that filtered out certain wavelengths of sunlight.

Downgraded from a hurricane overnight, Ophelia caused two deaths in Ireland on Monday, where it was the worst storm in half a century.

While winds were moderate in the British capital, the yellow sky surprised Londoners, many of whom posted pictures on social media.

Large waves crash along sea defences and the harbour as storm Ophelia approaches Porthleven in Cornwall, south west Britain, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville

"As Ophelia has come up from the Azores, the storm has picked up Saharan dust from North Africa and picked up dust from wild fires in Spain and Portugal," a spokeswoman for Britain's Met Office said.

"This yellowish hue is from the dust that is high up in the atmosphere and the blue element of the sunlight is scattered by the dust but the red element gets through so the sun appears redder and you get this sort of yellowish tinge," she said.

A man photographs the sky turning red over buildings in Canary Wharf as dust from the Sahara carried by storm Ophelia filters sunlight over London. REUTERS/Tom Jacobs

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Estelle Shirbon)

The sky over Westminster turns orange as storm Ophelia brings dust from the Sahara, filtering the light over London. REUTERS/Mary Turner

The sky over Westminster turns orange as storm Ophelia brings dust from the Sahara, filtering the light over London. REUTERS/Mary Turner

The sky turns red over buildings in Canary Wharf as dust from the Sahara carried by storm Ophelia filters sunlight over London, Britain, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Tom Jacobs

A woman photograhs buildings in Canary Wharf as the sky turns red as dust from the Sahara carried by storm Ophelia filters sunlight over London, Britain, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Tom Jacobs