‘Blood rain’ possible over Southern Europe during start of Holy Week
According to NOAA, the air surrounding the Saharan Air Layer has about 50% less moisture than the typical atmosphere. This means the presence of the dust can be detrimental to cloud formation and thunderstorm activity.
See what Saharan dust looks like to university researchers
FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell was granted access to see how university researchers are studying plumes of Saharan dust in Florida.
ROME - As the world prepares to enter Holy Week, parts of Southern Europe may witness a rare phenomenon known as "blood rain," triggered by a plume of Saharan dust making its way north from Africa.
The possibility of precipitation mixing with dust is expected to occur late in the weekend and early during Easter week over parts of Southern Europe, including Spain, Italy and Greece.
The reddish-tinted precipitation occurs when dust is swept into the atmosphere and later falls to the ground with rainfall, leaving a muddy residue on cars, buildings and other outdoor surfaces.
While the transport of Saharan dust across Europe isn’t unusual, the alignment of weather systems that triggers the dirty rain is somewhat more uncommon.
Forecast models show the dust plume moving generally from west to east across the Mediterranean, leaving most of the continent clear before the arrival of Easter Sunday.
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According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, the European Union’s atmospheric monitoring agency, Saharan dust and associated mud rain can worsen air pollution levels and exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular issues.
In 2024, significant levels of dust were observed across Europe, shrouding the skies of major cities such as Rome, Paris, Athens, and Kyiv.
"While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns," Mark Parrington, a scientist at Europe's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, previously noted.
As wind patterns change during the summer months, instead of the dust taking a northerly path, more of the particles are usually shunted westward, across the Atlantic.
These events are sometimes known to reach Florida and the Gulf Coast, affecting everything from rain chances to the colors seen in the sky during sunrises and sunsets.
Impacts in the U.S. are typically less significant than in Europe due to the greater distance and time the dust particles have to travel, allowing them to disperse.
NOAA estimates more than 180 million tons of dust leave the African continent every year.
SEVILLE ANDALUSIA,, SPAIN - MARCH 15: Image of the Torre del Oro on the day the so-called 'mud rain', a combination of a Saharan dust cloud with a squall, occurred this morning in the Andalusian capital, March 15, 2022 in Seville (Andalusia, Spain).
(Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Researchers from Spain say they have observed a sharp increase in Saharan dust intrusions when compared to the early 2000s.
"Since 2020, we are monitoring increases on the temperature of the Mediterranean and a persistent drought in the Maghreb. These surface conditions are contributing to the occurrence of these exceptional winter Saharan events towards Europe in the last years," Sara Basart, a scientist at the World Meteorological Organization, previously stated.