INDO DAILY
← EARTH OBSERVATION  |  Home EARTH OBSERVATION

Saharan dust expected to hit Europe again this weekend

by AFP Staff Writers Paris (AFP) Feb 19, 2021 AFP
Dust and sand particles whipped up from the Sahara will once again blanket skies over Europe this weekend, impacting air quality, the European Union's Copernicus satellite monitoring service said Friday.

It said wind predictions showed a "substantial plume" of Saharan dust would hit southern Europe over the weekend into next week, reaching as far north as Norway.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said that like a similar event earlier in February, the dust would likely be visible to the naked eye in the skies across Europe.

"Dust plumes from the desert can cause red skies, limited visibility or stains on cars and windows from dust deposition, but these impacts are difficult to predict quantitatively as far as four or five days in advance," he said.

Parrington said it was likely that the "high concentrations" of dust would affect air quality and could have some health impacts.

A previous dust cloud in early February darkened the skies in many regions of western Europe, carrying particulate concentrations "several hundred times" more than normal, Copernicus said.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, is Copyright 1995-2026 Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principles for news reporting and research purposes.