Dust from the Sahara is causing 'blood rain' in Europe
The term 'blood rain' might sound like something straight out of a horror movie but it makes for a beautiful sight in real life.
Earlier this week, social media users took to the internet to share pictures of what looked like vivid, red sunrises across the U.K.
Drivers around the city, who were hoping to wake up to find their cars freshly washed due to the rain, were in for a surprise when they saw the precipitation had instead, left a red-coloured residue all over their vehicles.
The weather phenomenon known as ‘blood rain’ occurred after the Sahara experienced a major dust storm over Easter weekend.
HOW SAHARAN DUST GETS TO THE U.K.
“These dust particles get trapped in the upper levels of the atmosphere and the strong winds will transport them and carry them hundreds and thousands of kilometres away, and in this case bought them all the way to the U.K,” according to Meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg.
The dust particles then proceeded to fall along with the rain in the U.K. and ended up evaporating, leaving red, dusty deposits in its wake.
While some are calling this phenomenon rare, it’s not that uncommon to see ‘blood rain’ in the U.K. and parts of Europe.
WHERE’S IT HEADED NEXT?
According to Meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg, forecast models suggest that the Saharan dust “could travel past the U.K. and land all the way up in Iceland.”
