If you are planning to get your car washed over the coming 24 hour or wash the windows of the house then it might be a good idea to hold off for another 48 hours as some Saharan dust is expected to move up across Ireland on Tuesday into Wednesday which could be visible on some windows or surfaces like cars by Wednesday morning.

Amounts will be small and will be more noticeable after any rainfall or shower activity which helps transport it from the air on to the ground or surface.

Some rain will cross Ireland Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning so keep a eye out on top of your cars for that red dust that came all the way from the Saharan desert blowing up by the wind.

As in other parts of the world, the wind can blow strongly over deserts - whipping up dust and sand high into the sky. If the winds in the upper part of the atmosphere are blowing north, the dust can be carried as far as the Ireland and the UK.

Once it is lifted from the ground by strong winds, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and be transported worldwide, covering thousands of miles.

In order for the dust to get from up in the sky down to the ground, you need something to wash it out of the sky - rain. As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust.

Saharan dust is relatively common in the Ireland and the UK often happening several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns. In certain weather situations, Saharan dust can also affect air pollution and pollution levels.