"Exceptionally intense" Sahara dust cloud covers Europe as impact of could hit Portsmouth and Hampshire

According to the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), an “African air mass outbreak” transported high concentrations of Saharan dust across western Europe during the weekend, including at surface level, with impacts in air quality as far north as Germany. The phenomenon is set to end tomorrow with the arrival of an Atlantic front. The CAMS forecast shows that the edge of the cloud will cover much of the South East of England.

CAMS senior scientist Mark Parrington said: “This latest Saharan dust episode is the third of its kind in the last two weeks and is related to the weather pattern that led to warmer weather across western Europe in recent days. The two previous episodes were mainly over the Mediterranean and southern Europe, although some effects such as deposition on people's cars occurred as far north as Scandinavia last weekend. While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns.”

The transported dust has also carried with it “high concentrations of coarse particulate matter (PM10)”, which could pose a health risk.

How often does Saharan dust come over to the UK?

Saharan dust is fairly common in the UK and often occurs several times a year. This is due to the big dust storms in the Sahara colliding with Southerly wind patterns. In certain weather circumstances, Saharan dust can also affect air pollution and pollution levels.

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