Dramatic ‘blood rain’ is set to sweep over Britain in the next 24 hours as dust from the Sahara and Sahel deserts is carried thousands of miles across Europe in a curious weather phenomenon
Britain is set to be drenched in eerie ‘blood rain’ thanks to a blast of sand from the Sahara desert.
The striking meteorological phenomenon is being tipped to unfold over the next 24 hours, according to forecasters from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), with strong winds carrying dust over from North Africa, across Western Europe and towards the British Isles.
This is lifted up into the atmosphere on low-pressure systems, and can travel for thousands of miles before it falls as rain.
Despite its dramatic name, the biggest difference most people can expect to see from the ‘blood rain’ is some dust left on their car windscreens and potentially an orange hue in the sky – though air quality may also suffer in areas with high concentrations.
READ MORE: People who hang laundry with pegs urged to reconsider before summerREAD MORE: Dunelm’s ‘best affordable egg chair on the market’ is back for spring 2026 and it’s under £200
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Mark Parrington, Senior Scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, told the Daily Mail: “Our latest forecast indicates that it will mostly pass over southern England and the Channel at higher altitudes in the atmosphere but may result in some wet deposition at ground level if it mixes with weather forecasts also showing some rain.”
Explaining the ‘blood rain’ phenomenon, an entry on the Met Office website says: “As in other parts of the world, the wind can blow strongly over deserts – whipping up dust and sand high into the sky. If the winds in the upper part of the atmosphere are blowing north, the dust can be carried as far as the UK.
“Once it is lifted from the ground by strong winds, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and be transported worldwide, covering thousands of miles. In order for the dust to get from up in the sky down to the ground, you need something to wash it out of the sky – rain.
“As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust.”
Temperatures to top 17C this week
A mixed picture of sunshine, showers and milder conditions is expected to continue throughout most of this week, with things turning noticeably spring-like in many areas.
Met Office forecaster Annie Shuttleworth said in her latest forecast this afternoon: “A mild but cloudy start to the day on Tuesday, more in the way of brightness to come though, particularly across southern areas.
“With those southerly winds, we could see temperatures reaching 15 degrees, most likely across the north coast of Cornwall or Devon – we could see temperatures in the mid-teens towards the north coast and the north-east of Scotland. Widely 13 or 14 degrees for many areas, and with some brightness it’s going to feel pretty pleasant across central and southern areas.”
Heavy rain will however “persist” towards the far northwest, she said, with largely clear conditions in most of England and Wales into the evening.
Temperatures are then set to turn “exceptionally mild” for February and could even top 17C on Thursday in some areas to the south – matching the type of daytime averages that would usually be seen in early May.
