Overview
- A NASA GEOS model animation traced March 1–9 dust plumes from northwestern Africa across the Mediterranean and into Western Europe, mapping dust column mass density and movement.
- Residents reported hazy skies from southern England to the Alps, with dust reaching the Matterhorn and producing brown “blood rain” in parts of Spain, France, and the southern U.K.
- The dirty rain was linked to a low-pressure system named Storm Regina by Portugal’s weather service, which helped wash airborne particles out of the atmosphere.
- MeteoSwiss documented “dusty cirrus” over the Mediterranean, where lofted dust particles acted as ice-nucleating seeds for high clouds now under active study for weather and climate effects.
- A new satellite-based analysis found photovoltaic performance in Hungary fell to about 46% on high-dust days versus 75% or more on clearer days, with the largest losses tied to dust-enhanced cirrus reflectance reducing surface radiation.