Coloured Sand, Decorative Sand, Orange, 0.5 mm, 1 kg in Bag

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Sand whipped up by winds in the desert has been blown over Europe, reaching as far north as the southern part of the UK, lending an eerie orange tone to the sunlight. Some of the sand fell in rain showers on Wednesday afternoon and evening, meaning cars and streets were coated with the orange dust, in an effect known as “blood rain”. Meteorologists said there was no risk to public health.

orange glow - The Telegraph Saharan dust storm shrouds Europe in orange glow - The Telegraph

Meteorologists added that the dust often led to dramatic, beautiful sunsets but these might not be visible on this occasion due to wet weather and heavy cloud cover. The dust particles sit about two kilometres above ground and filter out blue light from the sun, giving the light that does get through an orange tone. Richard Miles, of the Met Office, said: “We don’t expect significant impacts - the most likely would be on the cloudscapes at sunset, but as conditions are likely to be generally overcast and wet for much of the day this is unlikely to amount to much. There are no air quality warnings. Sahara sand creates a special light atmosphere around a former Swiss Air Force jet fighter Mirage 2000 on display in front of the entrance of the Payerne Air Base in Switzerland