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Saharan Dust Reaches Europe, Bringing Haze and Early‑Spring Warmth

Models show the thickest plume over the Canary Islands, with only low to moderate levels in Germany.

Overview

  • Germany saw the first influx on Thursday with hazy skies and temperatures running well above late‑February norms as subtropical air moved north.
  • Copernicus forecasts indicate initial impacts in western and northwestern Germany before the plume shifts east and northeast, with the south largely clearer this week.
  • The Canary Islands are expected to receive roughly 10 to 20 times higher dust loads, raising the chance of red skies and so‑called blood‑tinted rain on Thursday and Friday.
  • Light rain from Friday night into Saturday could wash dust out over western Germany, leaving a thin film on cars and windows even where skies looked only slightly hazy.
  • Health agencies note that near‑surface dust can lift fine‑particulate levels for sensitive people, and forecasters flag a potential larger dust outbreak early next week targeting Iberia, France and the U.K., with a chance it reaches Germany.