Weather watchSaharan dust could bring ‘blood rain’ to Luxembourg overnight

A weather phenomenon that may sound alarming is, in reality, largely harmless.

So-called ‘blood rain’ occurs when ordinary rainfall mixes with fine dust particles transported from the Sahara. In recent days, a plume of Saharan dust has been drifting towards Central Europe, prompting the question: could Luxembourg see blood rain this weekend?

According to Meteolux, the answer is yes – but only if light rain falls during Friday night. A measurable concentration of Saharan dust is currently present in the atmosphere, the national weather service confirmed in response to an enquiry.

For the remainder of the weekend, however, no further episodes are expected.

Those wishing to track when and where Saharan dust is forecast across Central Europe can consult the monitoring tools provided by Copernicus.