This weekend, a large cloud of sand dust coming from the Sahara Desert is expected across the entire French territory. It will arrive in France via a flow of hot air from Africa, carrying large quantities of sand. The sky will therefore be heavy with dust, with a yellowish tint.
France is not the only country affected by Saharan dust. Greece found itself under the sand at the start of the week, with high temperatures and highly dusty air, particularly in the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki. Pulmonologists had even warned about the risks posed by dust clouds for health.
Switzerland was also affected by the dust clouds. An alert for fine particles had been launched there.
Pollution peaks and limited temperatures
The arrival of Saharan dust greatly degrades air quality. On Saturday March 30, large parts of the south of France were under sand, triggering “the alert threshold” in the regions concerned.
In the event of rain, precipitation and particles mix and create grayish deposits. The cloud of dust generated by the movement of sand particles towards Europe also lowers temperatures because they attenuate the sun's rays.
The dust will be blown away before the end of the weekend by a wind which will move it towards central Europe.