CAR washes across the north west have had an unexpectedly busy week following a Saharan sand storm.
The unusual weather phenomenon descended on Sunday night, coating vehicles in a layer of brown dust.
For drivers it meant a trip to the car wash and businesses have been kept going all week clearing windscreens of grit and grime.
Bear Gamble runs Joe Soap’s Car Wash in Lifford.
He said, “It was unexpected. I came out to go to work on Monday and the dust on my car was shocking.
“We washed cars on Monday and by Tuesday some of them were back in again. I had a lady who came in on Saturday to get her car washed. She arrived back on Monday to say we had left it covered in dust. I had to show her a post on the Donegal Weather Channel about how it was the same across Ireland.”
Storm Celia
According to meteorologist Richard Miles the sand was as a result of Storm Celia which whipped up the Sahara before travelling through central Europe.
“Sandstorms in the Sahara are a common occurrence as we all know and what happened was sand got whipped up to a frenzied degree, dispersing itself high in the atmosphere above cloud level,” Mr Chambers said.
“That sand then found itself being dragged with the clouds as part of the weather system towards northern Europe and eventually the UK and Ireland thanks to prevailing winds.
“Once the rain began to fall the Saharan sand fell along with it. That’s why so many people woke up on Monday and found their cars needing an unexpected wash.”
The Donegal Weather Channel was predicting another sand blast yesterday before things ease off.
“Levels will ease off at the end of this week and this weekend.
“Come Thursday and Friday it should be safe enough to get the car washed.”
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Donegal County Council is actively investigating this matter as an unauthorised development and the matter will be pursued accordingly.