Deep Elke has caused an unusually strong eruption of North African desert air. A huge cloud of dust has covered Europe and also Germany. There has already been a rain of blood in many regions. But that was not it.
The cloud of Sahara dust over Europe is not gone yet. On Wednesday it spreads to Denmark. On Thursday there will be more rain. This means that new blood rain is imminent again on Thursday. And this time it hits the whole country – including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Flensburg and Berlin.
The rain will probably be even heavier than forecast. Because the dust in the air is effective in the formation of clouds. Many more cloud particles are formed and the rain is usually much heavier than calculated by the weather models.
Rain of blood: Don’t wash the cars yet
In the south and in the center of the country, the rain of blood has already hit many cars. A red film of dust sticks to many vehicles. But it’s not worth washing the car just yet, because on Thursday there will be a new wave of blood rain. And please note that the dust may scratch the paintwork. So it is best to just rinse the vehicle with water.
Onset of winter drives away the Sahara dust
From Friday, the Sahara dust will then leave Germany. The reason for this is the recent onset of winter in Eastern Europe. We only notice it marginally, but some of the cool air also reaches us. And that’s enough to drive away the Sahara dust. However, this only applies to Germany.
In southern Europe – from Spain to Cyprus – the dust will remain in the air until next week. But it doesn’t always end as easily as it does here. In North Africa, Deep Elke develops into a real dust storm.
Dust storm heads for Cairo
Deep Elke wanders through the desert. And cold air also comes into the desert on the back. A cold front is forming. It probably won’t rain on that front though. And with that, the cold front develops into a full-blown dust storm.
Because the dust is swept away, creating a powerful dust storm that is making its way in the direction of Libya and Egypt. One can only hope that some rain will fall from the cold front, because then most of the dust will fall off.