The reason why the sky over Austria turned orange yesterday had a long journey behind it: more than 3000 kilometers, from the Sahara to Europe. The current weather conditions are currently bringing large amounts of Saharan dust to large parts of Europe, including Austria. Sahara dust is nothing unusual in this country. “But the current event is relatively strong and one of the strongest in recent years,” said the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) yesterday. “In certain weather conditions, Saharan dust in northern Africa is whirled up by strong winds and transported to higher layers of the air. From there, it can travel long distances with the corresponding large-scale air currents.”
The dust in the air can make the sky appear yellowish to brownish and clearly intensify the red of dawn and dusk. However, the dust, which is harmless in itself, can have health consequences for people who have already been exposed to it. And it contributes to local air pollution.
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red rain
The sand can also reach the ground with rain or snow, the precipitation is also known as blood rain due to its colour. The first drops fell in the Mühlviertel and Innviertel yesterday evening. During the night, rain spread across the country from the west. As a result, it will rain heavily locally. In the morning, temporary rain is to be expected, especially in the southern parts of the country. Further north, on the other hand, it is usually dry from the start and at times sunny. By noon at the latest, dry conditions are to be expected throughout the country, with widespread sunshine in the afternoon.
Source: Nachrichten
