05 March 2026
Dr Claire Ryder, Associate Professor in Mineral Dust Processes at the University of Reading, comments on the Saharan dust plume set to hit the UK.
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"Another Saharan dust plume is on its way to the UK and northern Europe. Satellite imagery shows the dust plume pushing up over France and southern England. Tracking it back, it first lifted off north-west Africa around 27 February, swept up by a weather front moving through the region. It has since been carried northwardsahead of a frontal system and can now be seen impacting northwest France and the UK.
"Over the coming days, southerly winds ahead of an approaching weather front will push the plume across the UK, and forecasts suggest the dust could linger until late on Sunday.
"Forecasts of rain, particularly over England on Friday, may produce‘blood rain’. Despite the dramatic name, it's a straightforward phenomenon. As rain falls through air thick with Saharan dust, it picks up tiny particles of reddish-brown sand, leaving rusty orange smears on cars, windows and garden furniture. If your car looks like it's been lightly coated in mud after a shower this week, this is why.
“We may also see redder sunsets on Thursday (5 March), before cloudy skies arrive overnight. Dust particles scatter light from the sun very effectively, helping to cause red sunsets, but iron oxides in dust also absorb blue colours in sunlight, further enhancing red colours.
“As the dust is transported over the UK, some of it may be mixed down towards the surface, causing higher concentrations of fine particles in the air. DEFRA air quality measurements show coarse particles increasing at Reading yesterday by around a factor of 4, as the dust reduces air quality.”
‘Flying fortress’ funding cut limits future weather work
Dr Claire Ryder comments on the recent NERC decision to cut funding for the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements.
“In August 2023, University of Reading researchers flew the UK’s flying laboratory research aircraft FAAM in a similar dust plume over the UK to investigate the dust in detail and to improve model predictions.
“This removal of state-of-the-art airborne infrastructure means that the UK will not have the opportunity to measure dust storms such as the one currently affecting UK air quality in the future.
“The FAAM research aircraft is a flying fortress measuring a huge number of important atmospheric properties, such as cloud water and ice particles, air pollution and dust, atmospheric chemistry, and radiation measurements, simultaneously. It underpins foundational atmospheric science in the UK, allowing scientists to validate and improve weather predictions and climate forecasts, and check that satellites in space are measuring correctly.
“Compared to drones, FAAM has a far greater payload, ability to operate simultaneous measurements (e.g. aerosols and clouds together), range and endurance. For example, FAAM has been used to measure dust storms and weather over the remote Sahara and to fly in Icelandic volcanic ash in 2010 when air space was closed.”
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