Sahara dust moves over Germany: Here the sky turns yellow-brown and orange-red

Warm air from North Africa is currently moving over Germany – and bringing Sahara dust with it. Experts expect temperatures of up to 20 degrees in the middle of the week.

Update from Wednesday, March 16th, 2022, 8.45 a.m .: The dust from the Sahara has reached Germany and is already turning the sky over Bavaria orange-red. The phenomenon could already be seen in the sky on Tuesday (03/15/2022) – especially in southern Germany. As a meteorologist from the German Weather Service (DWD) said, the phenomenon should be visible throughout Bavaria on Wednesday. In the Saarland and in Rhineland-Palatinate, the dust should make the spring-like day a little cloudier and even on Thursday (March 17th, 2022) the Sahara dust might not have blown away.

This is nothing unusual at this time, said the DWD expert. These winds reach Germany mainly in spring and summer. Light precipitation leads to “blood rain” in the weather, with the desert sand being washed out. The water then turns brown. The sand then becomes visible on cars or garden furniture, for example.

Sahara dust moves towards Germany: orange-red sky and almost 20 degrees

First report from Monday, March 14th, 2022: Kassel – Many hours of sunshine, a bright blue sky and no rain: One high after the other has so far caused mostly dry weather in Germany. The weather trend for March showed that it was already getting really summery in the first month of spring.

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After the spring-like weekend, however, people can now expect a cloudy start to the week and an unusual weather phenomenon – because Sahara dust is on its way to Germany. In the north-east, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported changing cloudiness and occasional rain on Monday (03/14/2022), which is spreading further north-east. Thunderstorms are even possible locally in the south-west of the country.

Weather in Germany: Sahara dust causes cloudy skies in certain regions

As weather expert Dominik Jung predicted to wetter.net, the Sahara dust will come back from Tuesday (March 15, 2022) – and in masses. The dust is heading from North Africa via Spain and France to Germany and should stay until the weekend. In some regions of the Federal Republic it should rain again on Tuesday. “There, the dust can be washed out of the atmosphere, which is then called blood rain. The rain is turning a bit brownish,” explained the meteorologist. The Sahara dust has currently (as of February 15, 2022) already arrived in Germany.

But in which regions will the Sahara dust be seen? Meteorologist Jan Schenk reveals this to The Weather Channel. A model of the Barcelona Dust Regional Center shows that southern Germany in particular could be affected by the special weather event. Above all, parts of the federal states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Saarland and NWR are in a dense cloud of dust. The phenomenon could be particularly strong in cities such as:

Weather phenomenon in Germany: Sahara dust is spreading – drivers notice that too

This is also noticeable for car drivers. There could then be a thin layer of dust on some car roofs. According to the DWD, the weather * should then relax from the west from the afternoon hours. It continues with mild temperatures between 11 and 20 degrees for the time being. It gets a little cooler in the north.

Spring weather in Germany: Dry March continues

According to Dominik Jung, the sun can prevail again from Wednesday (March 16, 2022). This continues the sunny and dry March weather. Due to the Saharan dust in the air, however, the sunlight is partially clouded, which is why the sky appears milky in places.

However, the nights in the coming days are expected to remain rather cool. “What a weather this March. Extremely dry and sunny. Temperatures are now slightly above the long-term average. It’s getting warmer and warmer,” Jung said in a statement.

This is how the weather will continue in the coming days:

Sahara dust in March: risk of forest fires in Germany increases

It is not yet possible to estimate exactly how long the drought will last. Some forecasts are counting on sunshine without end, even until the end of the month. Sounds tempting, but it also increases the risk of forest fires locally. The drought in Germany can be really dangerous. According to the index of the German Weather Service (DWD), on Monday the danger value in the north-east was 4 out of 5. In some regions it was even 5 out of 5. According to meteorologist Dominik Jung, the risk of forest fires also reached the second highest or even the highest warning level everywhere at the weekend .”

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“If the drought continues until the end of the month, it would be a drought of the century. March has never been so dry since 1881,” explained Dominik Jung. Many rivers would already have low water levels. According to the weather expert, the Rhine near Worms is said to have fallen below the 1 meter mark. “Lake Constance is now struggling more and more with low water. (…) Let’s hope that this won’t be a bad omen for the coming summer of 2022,” warned Jung.

Meteorologist Jung recently gave a cautious weather forecast for the summer of 2022. This looked anything but rosy. (kas) *hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubrics: © Sven Hoppe/dpa