Hampshire weather: Sahara dust sunset forecast by Met Office today as Portsmouth temperatures set to soar over Easter weekend - will it be the hottest day of the year?

The Met Office has forecast low levels of dust from North Africa will be in the atmosphere across the South East today.

A spokeswoman from the Met Office said: ‘Low concentrations of Saharan dust from N Africa are expected in the South East today.

‘There may be some interesting colours at sunset.’

What is a Sahara dust sunset?

According to the forecasters website, dust and sand travels to the UK if the winds in the upper part of the atmosphere are blowing north.

At its most intense, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes, leaving bright colours in the sky.

Raindrops bring these particles from the sky to the ground, as they collect dust particles while they fall.

The Met Office said the phenomenon is relatively common in the UK, and occurs several times a year.

The dust sunsets are not expected to continue past today.

Temperatures forecast to rise for Bank Holiday weekend

It is set to be much warmer climate over the Easter weekend in Portsmouth.

A spokeswoman from the Met Office said: ‘The weather is looking mainly dry and settled.

‘Thursday will be dry with a chance of some cloud but with sunny intervals.

‘Friday and Monday looks to be mainly bright with sunny spells, although there is a chance of the occasional shower each day but winds remaining light.

‘Largely warmer than average with temperatures in the mid to high teens but feeling cooler on the coast and potentially dipping slightly as we go into the start of next week.’

Currently, temperatures are expected to reach highs of 14C on Saturday, with bright sun scheduled from 7am until the evening, according to The Met Office.

Hot weather is forecast for Sunday and Monday, with temperature highs reaching 14C and 15C on the respective days.

Will it be the hottest day of the year?

A spokeswoman from the Met Office said the highest temperature recorded in the Portsmouth area this year was 18.9C.

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This was in Gosport, on March 26.

She added even though it is normal for temperatures to rise steadily throughout Spring, it is unlikely temperatures will reach that level.

The spokeswoman said: ‘There is a chance that temperatures will reach the high teens, particularly away from the coast, so there is a chance we could see the ‘warmest day of the year’ so far but it is not guaranteed at this stage.’