Deirdre O Meara 
Today, a massive Saharan dust cloud is making its way to Ireland, bringing with it the potential for a rare phenomenon known as “blood rain”. This phenomenon is caused by strong winds blowing from the south-southwest towards the north-northeast, kicking up dust and carrying it in gusts across Europe.
With a high-pressure system over central Europe and around the Mediterranean, the dust storm is expected to reach Ireland today and tomorrow. According to independent Irish forecaster Alan O’Reilly, this could bring ‘blood rain’ to some areas.
The term ‘blood rain’ is used when red-coloured rain falls from the sky. The UK’s Met Office explains that this is caused by strong winds or storms whipping up dust and sand, which can be carried for thousands of miles and eventually mix with water droplets.
However, the Met Office also notes that proper ‘blood rain’ is a relatively rare event, as extremely high concentrations of dust particles are needed in the rain. This was seen in 2001 in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where monsoon rains periodically fell with a red colour.
Met Eireann is forecasting rain for this week, and with the Saharan dust storm making its way to Ireland, there is a chance that some areas could see ‘blood rain’.
The forecast for today is mostly dry with sunny spells, while tomorrow is expected to be cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain. The rest of the week is expected to be mostly dry with sunny spells, although there will be some cloudier periods with rain.
