What is ‘blood rain’ and will the UK really see red rain this week?
Saharan dust particles have brought a haze to parts of the UK this week, with the Met Office showing a satellite image of a cloud hovering above the isles.
The plumes were accompanied by talk of “blood rain” coming to the country and dramatic skies, much like seen in years gone by or from a disaster film.
“Have you noticed skies becoming a little hazy towards the west?” the Met Office tweeted on Monday.
“Strong winds across the Sahara have transported particles of dust northwards, which can be seen on satellite imagery from earlier this morning over the UK.”
Blood rain is not actually a meteorological or scientific term, states the Met Office, but is more of a colloquial phrase that has some history attached.
Here is all you need to know.
Blood rain is a colloquial term to describe when the rain looks like it’s red.
The Met Office says: “The forces that drive our weather can be quite powerful and do some surprising things – including lifting things like sand or even small objects and transporting them large distances.
“In the case of blood rain, strong winds or storms can whip up dust and sand. As this becomes airborne, it can get caught up in atmospheric circulation, where it can be carried for thousands of miles.”
The rain can appear red when it gets mixed with high concentrations of red coloured dust.
A satellite image showing the effect over the UK back in 2015
Met Office
Will we get blood rain in the UK?
Reports were made on Monday of the possibility of the blood rain in the UK this week, but this has not materialised and the Met Office has not confirmed this is likely.
A forecaster told the Express: “Low pressure moving toward the Canary Islands will pull Saharan Dust into southern Spain and southern Portugal starting Thursday.
“As the low moves closer to the Iberian Peninsula, rain will fall through the dust, resulting in a reddish tint to the rain or blood rain across southern Spain and southern Portugal from Thursday afternoon or evening into Saturday.”
Has blood rain happened before?
Proper blood rain is rare–but it has happened.
In 2001, red rain poured over Kerala, India, and it was dark enough that it stained people’s clothes.
Although blood rain may sound alarming, there is a scientific explanation behind this event.
Scientists discovered that the red rain over Kerala was caused by airborne spores from terrestrial algae called Trentepohlia annulata.
