How Hurricane Ophelia turned the sun ‘apocalyptic’ red today

The record-breaking 2017 Atlantic hurricane season keeps getting stranger.

While Tropical Storm Ophelia hammered Ireland Monday, people across the United Kingdom reported witnessing an amazing hurricane phenomenon — it appeared the sun turned red.

People from all over the British Isles posted photos on Twitter Monday showing what they described as “eerie, “apocalyptic” and “straight out of a horror film.”

But according to scientists, there is no need to panic.

The “red sky effect” was caused by Hurricane Ophelia, the strongest storm to hit Ireland in more than 50 years, according to The Weather Channel. The storm system carried tropical air and sand from the Sahara, creating the reddish tint.

“Winds were strong over Iberia on Sunday, which has resulted in dust blown to the UK on a strong south to south-westerly flow,” Weather Channel meteorologist Dave Reynolds reported Monday.

“Fine grains from the parched ground have helped form the sepia tinge to the air,” Reynolds reported on The Weather Channel.

Debris from forest fires in Portugal and Spain also played a part in the sky’s strange color, which could explain why many people reported a burning smell, according to BBC News.

At least three people have been killed as a result of Ophelia, according to the Associated Press. Ophelia became the 10th consecutive storm in the Atlantic to grow to hurricane strength, which tied a record from the late 1800s, the Miami Herald reports. This season has been unusually active, with five major hurricanes and 15 named storms.

Ophelia’s strange skies in one of many very rare weather phenomenons that have occurred this 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season, including Hurricane Irma changing the color of several Caribbean Islands from satellite views and and appearing to “suck up” the ocean in spots of the Bahamas.

This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 3:08 PM with the headline "How Hurricane Ophelia turned the sun ‘apocalyptic’ red today."