The UK is likely to be hit by the phenomenon of 'blood rain' this week, which as the name implies is the rain is red. What is the cause?
The rain of blood was apparently related to the dust that came from the Sahara desert and was carried away by the wind. Satellite imagery from the European Space Agency (ESA) shows a dust wave from the Sahara towards the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean.
Well, the dust is also predicted to reach British soil. "Maybe it will mix with the rain, so there may be some residual dust on the vehicle for example after it rains," said Mark Parrington, senior weather scientist.
Previously, the dust from the Sahara desert had already reddened parts of Europe. One of the consequences is that parts of the house such as windows and residents' vehicles are dirty because they are covered with red dust.
Scientists from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) state that over time, more and more dust is carried by winds from the Sahara to parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. Some time ago, the dust caused the sky in several cities in Spain including Madrid to turn red.
This kind of phenomenon occurs when strong winds wash away sand in the Sahara and other organic sediments, then hurl it into the stratosphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, and then spread to distant locations.
CAMS said this time the dust was dense enough to reduce the sun's exposure to the Earth's surface. It can also trigger the rain of blood, when a high concentration of dust or red particles mixes with the rain, so that the color becomes red too.