Slideshow: Red sun and dark skies - how Ophelia left its mark on Sussex

Sussex may not have seen the fierce gusting winds that have battered the west of the UK and Ireland, but the strange phenomena that accompanied Storm Ophelia certainly generated masses of interest.
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A red sun, then an eerie light and finally almost twilight conditions led to social media flooded with photos of the scene across Sussex.

And we have featured numerous reader pictures on our website and above.

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According to the Met Office, the former hurricane dragged air and dust from southern Europe and Africa.

The unusual skies created plenty of interestThe unusual skies created plenty of interest
The unusual skies created plenty of interest

The red (or orange) effect was caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun.

And once the cloud thickened it blocked out the sun.

The unusual colour of the sun led to the hashtag #redsun trending on Twitter.

And the orange colour also led to the comment that “We’ve been Tango’d!”

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Storm Ophelia has already claimed three lives as trees have beeen felled and homes and businesses left without power in Ireland and the west of the country.

The storm is now moving into Scotland.

The day’s events are 30 years virtually to the day after the Great Storm hit Sussex, leaving trail of devastation in its wake.