Saharan sand to cover cars and buildings in western France
Storm in Spain will bring sand grains as far north as Brittany
The fine grains fall onto vehicles and buildings leaving them booking dirty
Carmen Hauser / Shutterstock
A powerful storm in Spain is set to whip up deposits of Saharan sand that will cross the border and cover several areas of France, affecting the atmosphere until Saturday.
France is set to experience temperatures significantly above average later this week, and see only little rainfall, however south of the Pyrénées Storm Claudia is in full swing.
The storm will only partially impact France – bringing strong winds to southern and central areas today (November 12) – but a side-effect of the powerful winds blowing across the country will be deposits of Saharan sand being blown high into the air.
This sand can be pushed more than 4,000m above sea level and travel thousands of kilometres before being worn down into tiny particles by the atmosphere - and then fall as grains of sand onto surfaces.
The sand clusters are often stopped by the Pyrénées mountain ranges (or as they get less powerful the further they progress into France, the Massif Central or Vosges), but weather conditions can see their usual path change or the intensity of the winds carrying them increase.
Sand is expected to fall along most of France’s western coast, potentially up to Nantes and parts of Brittany, before heading diagonally across central France.
It will hit Paris and the Ardennes, and just reach into Luxembourg, with a separate strain heading as far east as Germany.
Areas around Perpignan may also be affected by a second batch, however this is mostly set to fall in the Mediterranean sea and inland areas along the south will not be affected.
No health warnings
Alongside bringing an ochre-coloured sky to these areas – and slightly reducing the amount of sunshine – the small sand grains will fall on buildings, roads, and cars leaving them looking dusty.
This can be an annoyance but the phenomenon is not uncommon, and happens a few times each year to varying degrees of severity.
Grains in the atmosphere can also reduce air quality, however health warnings are not usually raised during instances of Saharan sand coverage.
While the particles are small enough to be inhaled, they are not generally deemed hazardous.
General advice is for vulnerable groups – babies, elderly, and those with respiratory conditions – to avoid strenuous exercise outside where they may inhale the particles.
