Earlier this week: Saharan dust reaches the UK

A huge cloud of Saharan dust passed over Western Europe in the first half of the week, with satellite images showing the haze as it reached Spain, France, and the UK.

Large parts of Western Europe have been covered by a milky and brownish veil – Sahara dust. The huge band of sand and dust particles looks particularly impressive on satellite images.

But the dust was also noticeable from the ground through colourful sunrises and sunsets or by clouding the sky, as photographs from London show.

A depression over the Iberian Peninsula caused strong winds over the desert areas of North Africa, kicking up large quantities of sand and dust which reached the UK.

This is thanks to the high-altitude winds over the Balearic Islands, northern Spain and France.

As quantities of the fine sand builds in the air when Saharan dust arrives, the sun can appear milky and cloudy.

Due to the interaction of dust particles, clouds, and other aerosols in the high-altitude air, the sky also turns more orange to red, triggering spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

The desert dust consists mainly of tiny mineral dust and can rise up to heights of 5 – 10 kilometres into the atmosphere. When there is also rain in the forecast, it can produce 'blood rain'. You can find out more about the phenomenon from the video below: