The dust is being carried northward by a warm air mass from Spain and the Sahara Desert.

Dust particles were observed by the EU's Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite earlier this week, being blown northward by the wind from the Saharan desert to the Canary Islands.

Over the weekend, dust storms are predicted to sweep across Ireland, and on Sunday, the dust will turn to rain.

Saharan dust is frequently seen high in the atmosphere, according to Alan O'Reilly, an amateur meteorologist who manages the Carlow Weather social media feeds.

“Rain will cause the dust to rise to the surface. We frequently have Saharan dust over us, especially in the summer, but if the weather is calm and dry, it doesn't actually come to the surface.”

He stated on Newstalk radio that Sunday's “unusually mild” temperatures - which might reach as high as 14 degrees Celsius in certain areas - will be caused by the warm air mass.

According to Met Éireann, Saturday night will be generally overcast and moderate, with a few areas of light drizzle or showers.

Sunday is expected to be mostly overcast and dry, with sporadic areas of light rain or drizzle, according to the forecast. Before noon, rain is expected to start in the west and spread eastward throughout the remainder of the nation in the afternoon and evening.

On Sunday night, the rain is expected to persist in the south and east, while in the northwest, there will be clear spells.

There will be a return to lower temperatures on Sunday night, between 1 and 5 degrees.