THE REGION is battening down the hatches as Storm Ophelia bears down on the British Isles - but Bradford has already seen the effect with bizarre orange skies and a distinct odour of burning.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for Bradford with gusts of up to 42 mph during Monday and into Tuesday.

And the effect of the storm is already having an impact - today's fog and strange orange tinted skies are the result of dust particles in the atmosphere.

Ophelia's southerly winds have picked up dust from the African desert which has been supplemented by smoke particles from forest fires in Portugal and Spain which are now over the UK.

The odd skies are accompanied by a strange smell - almost sulphurous - as the storm's downdraft creates ozone nearer to ground level.

But don't be too disappointed if you can't smell anything - ozone is usually only detectable by sensitive noses.

The national weather service says it will remain very windy overnight across the region and very strong, gusty winds will continue at first tomorrow, easing through the day.

The former hurricane has already made landfall in the Republic of Ireland where more than 10,000 homes are without power.

Remnants of the hurricane will reach Britain's west coast on Monday afternoon, with gusts of up to 80mph forecast - exactly 30 years after the Great Storm of 1987 killed 18 people.

Planes have been grounded at Manchester Airport, with 20 flights cancelled and passengers warned to check ahead.

Ireland was braced for the worst of the weather, with schools closed and around 130 flights cancelled at Dublin airport.

Schools and colleges have been closed in Northern Ireland, which is covered with an amber weather warning - meaning there is a "potential risk to life and property", issued when forecasters believe people need to be prepared to change their plans and protect themselves from the impacts of severe weather.

The storm is expected to move across to Wales, northern England and Scotland throughout Monday.

High winds are expected across the entire region, while a yellow warning is in place for much of Wales, Scotland, north east England, north west England, south west England and the West Midlands.

There's a gallery of pictures at the top of this page, and some more of your pictures are below - use the link to send us yours!

Community answers

Send us your pictures of today's weird orange sky

"Storm Ophelia is turning Bradford's skies a very odd colour - send us your pictures!"

We asked for your responses - this is what you sent.

From Amar Hussain

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From Maimoona Ishfaq

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From Community contributor

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: BLINDINGBLINDING

From Shahida Bibi

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From Shoqeeb Malik

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From Saima Khan

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: 🔥🔥🔥 ⛅️🌞🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 ⛅️🌞🔥🔥🔥

From Joe Rainbow

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Red sky at 14:04 in Wibsey. The sky went a funny yellow colour and then started to turn orangeRed sky at 14:04 in Wibsey. The sky went a funny yellow colour and then started to turn orange
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Red sky at 14:04 in Wibsey. The sky went a funny yellow colour and then started to turn orangeRed sky at 14:04 in Wibsey. The sky went a funny yellow colour and then started to turn orange

From jasbinder Kaur

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Taken this afternoonTaken this afternoon
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Taken this afternoonTaken this afternoon

From Emily Miller

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Red sun over Shipley CollegeRed sun over Shipley College

From Community contributor

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From De'roid Doyle

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Red sun over bcfcRed sun over bcfc

From Hafeza Hyatt

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: BeautifulBeautiful

From Annie Fleming

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: OMG The Sun in Woodside  BradfordOMG The Sun in Woodside Bradford
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: OMG The Sun in Woodside  BradfordOMG The Sun in Woodside Bradford
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: OMG The Sun in Woodside  BradfordOMG The Sun in Woodside Bradford

From Mehak Zahra

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The sun is burning🔥The sun is burning🔥
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The sun is burning🔥The sun is burning🔥

From Elizabeth Campbell

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Capturing the dusty red sun this afternoonCapturing the dusty red sun this afternoon
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Capturing the dusty red sun this afternoonCapturing the dusty red sun this afternoon

From Fatima Sheeraz

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Scary looking Red moonScary looking Red moon

From Bev Stamp

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

From Community contributor

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Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: