Saharan Dust Outbreak Sweeps Western Europe

Clouds of dust lofted from the Sahara Desert moved north and west in early March 2026, bringing hazy skies and muddy rain across Western Europe. An animation of March 1–9 shows dust column mass density produced with a GEOS model that integrates satellite data and atmospheric physics.

Plumes originating in northwestern Africa blew both across the Atlantic and toward the Mediterranean, spreading haze from southern England to the Alps and encroaching on peaks such as the Matterhorn. Storms mixed with dust sent particles to the ground, leaving a brownish residue and producing so-called blood rain in parts of Spain, France, and the southern UK after a low-pressure system named Storm Regina moved across the Iberian Peninsula.

Over the Mediterranean, areas of dusty cirrus developed higher in the atmosphere, where dust can act as condensation nuclei for ice crystals. Scientists are studying these clouds to better understand their effects on weather, climate, and solar power.

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