When and where Saharan dust storm and 'blood rain' could hit the UK this week
A brief blast of heat is expected for much of the country later in the coming days - only to quickly be replaced by torrential rain.
And, what's more, it is predicted the downpours will bring with it some Saharan dust.
Here, Yahoo News UK looks at exactly what Saharan dust is and what it could mean for the coming days.
It's a mixture of sand, detritus and dust from the Sahara Desert that have been blown thousands of miles by strong winds in the upper part of the atmosphere as far north as British shores.
However, for it to end up on the ground, it needs to be carried there by a meteorological vehicle, such as rain.
According to the Met Office, Britain's official forecaster: "As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust."
This is sometimes referred to as 'blood rain'.
According to Met Office forecasters, there are currently "hints of a little bit of Saharan dust in the atmosphere on Thursday and perhaps Friday".
Thunderstorms forecast for later in the week will "potentially wash any sand out of the atmosphere".
Heavy rain is currently expected to start in Northern Ireland, western Wales and south west England on Wednesday night, before moving north and east over Thursday.
This is then predicted to be followed by a second band of rain following the same pattern over Friday and Saturday.
However, downpours are also expected to be preceded by high temperatures, reaching almost 30C in parts of southern and central England.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Mike Silverstone, said: 'After largely benign weather early in the week, some intense, thundery showers will move in on Wednesday evening.
"These thunderstorms are being triggered by some warm, humid air that is moving into the UK from the south. The intense rainfall could see 20-40mm accumulating over just a few hours, which could cause some disruption.
"While there are no severe weather warnings issued at the moment, it is possible thunderstorm warnings may be issued this week.'
The most obvious impact most will see from 'blood rain' is a reddish residue left on cars, pavements and garden furniture.
In 2022, Saharan dust left a red tinge to snow at ski resorts in the French Pyrenees, while staff at Legoland in Germany had to deploy jet washers to hose down attractions before visitors arrived.
BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood advised the public to keep an eye out for "impressive sunrise/sets" as a result of the phenomenon.
However, it can also have more serious consequences, particularly for people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, COPD or bronchitis.
'If there's a lot of air pollution in the air [and] if you have a pre-existing lung condition, those fine particles can get into your airway and irritate airways that may already be inflamed," said Karen Spillett, deputy head of health advice at Asthma and Lung UK.
"If you're out and about and you have a reliever inhaler, make sure you've got that reliever inhaler with you.'
She added: 'If you do start to get symptoms — that might be coughing, wheezing, tightness across your chest, feeling a bit more breathless — you can take that reliever inhaler and that can hopefully help with your symptoms.'
One of the last widespread instances of Saharan dust affecting Europe was in March 2022, when parts of Germany, Spain and France all found themselves blanketed with a layer of red debris.
But it has also struck more recently, such as last month, when the phenomenon left a brown haze hanging over Athens, the Greek capital.
And last year, dust clouds over Italy saw temperatures in June approach 40C.
Closer to the dust's starting point, in Africa, a dust storm in Senegalese capital Dakar shortly before Christmas reduced visibility to less than 500 metres.
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