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Saharan dust cloud over Madrid (2022 image)
Photo: Carlos Luján / Europapress / picture alliance / dpa
Waiting a little longer with spring cleaning could be worthwhile these days.
Because the first Sahara dust of the year over Europe could make itself felt on cars and windows in Germany on Thursday.
This was announced by the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Service.
"The typical impact is a red or orange sky, but there is also the potential for ground-level air quality impacts, particularly in Portugal and Spain," said lead Copernicus scientist Mark Parrington.
A major impact on the quality of breathing air is not to be expected in Germany, but rain could bring the dust to the ground on Thursday, said Parrington at the request of the dpa.
According to the forecast, the Sahara dust should reach north-west Germany as early as Wednesday and continue to spread across the country during the day and on Thursday.
However, most of the dust is found at high altitudes.
According to the Atmosphere Service, larger amounts of dust from North Africa reached Europe this week for the first time this year and were moving from the Iberian Peninsula towards France and Central and Eastern Europe.
Effects on air quality were mainly expected for Portugal and Spain.
Sahara dust could affect human health and the energy sector, according to a Copernicus release.
For example, allergies could be intensified.
The dust particles in the atmosphere could also affect the generation of solar energy.
A reddish discoloration of the sky is typical of Sahara dust.
The Atmosphere Monitoring Service is one of several components of the European Union's Copernicus programme.
Among other things, it provides data on the atmosphere, oceans, land, climate change, security and energy obtained from satellite images.
ani/dpa
