Forecasters warn a crimson-coloured ‘blood rain’ will fall across parts of the country this week. (Image: Copernicus)
The UK’s seemingly endless downpours are about to take a bizarre twist — with forecasters warning crimson-coloured ‘blood rain’ will fall across parts of the country this week.
After experiencing daily rainfall in some regions throughout 2026 so far, Britain now faces an additional weather phenomenon as a colossal red dust cloud originating from the Sahara Desert hurtles towards the nation.
Scientists at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) are monitoring the approaching plume, which will transform ordinary British drizzle into eerie blood-red showers when the African particles collide with moisture in the atmosphere.
Experts dismiss health concerns
However, the dramatic visual spectacle poses no danger to public health, scientists have confirmed.
Car owners face the primary inconvenience — a light coating of reddish residue settling on vehicles and other outdoor items once precipitation evaporates.
Mark Parrington, Senior Scientist at CAMS, said: “Our latest forecast indicates that it will mostly pass over southern England and the Channel at higher altitudes in the atmosphere but may result in some wet deposition at ground level if it mixes with weather forecasts also showing some rain.”
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Desert winds carry particles thousands of miles
Satellite tracking shows the massive aerosol cloud journeying westward across the North Atlantic Ocean towards Europe.
Saharan sand particles make up the bulk of the plume, supplemented by smoke generated from seasonal agricultural burning across Equatorial Africa, reports the Daily Mail.
Powerful gusts sweeping across desert landscapes launch fine particles skyward, where upper-atmosphere currents travelling northward can transport the material as far as the British Isles — sometimes covering distances exceeding several thousand miles at extremely high altitudes.
Parrington noted these transcontinental dust migrations happen with notable frequency.
“Large–scale outflow of aerosols to the North Atlantic is not uncommon at this time of year, with seasonal biomass burning in Equatorial Africa typically reaching its peak between January and March, and Calima winds transporting Saharan dust over the ocean,” he explained.
“The high intensity of this particular episode is notable as our forecasts show a plume reaching northwestern parts of Europe.”
Tuesday afternoon landfall predicted
Computer models suggest the dust mass will arrive over UK territory on Tuesday, combining with falling rain to generate the blood-coloured precipitation.
“It looks likely to pass over in a couple of hours on Tuesday afternoon,” Mr Parrington said.
“Our latest forecast runs to the end of Tuesday but there is some indication there may be more crossing southern England on Wednesday.”
Scientists at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) are monitoring the plume (Image: Getty)
Car owners face the primary inconvenience — a light coating of reddish residue settling on vehicles (Image: Getty)
Evening skies could turn crimson
The atmospheric disturbance may alter more than just rainfall colour — late-day horizons could shift toward deep orange and red hues.
“An aerosol optical depth value of 1 typically means hazy skies, and the values in the plume are relatively high,” Mr Parrington said.
“So it could cause more reddish/orange skies during Tuesday evening.”
Though biblical-sounding terminology like ‘blood rain’ and ruby-tinted heavens might trigger concern, the phenomenon’s main legacy will involve dirty windscreens.
“It is possible that there could be some deposition to the ground which could leave some dusty residue on cars and windows as it passes over,” Mr Parrington added.
Rainfall to dominate through mid-March
The blood rain forecast arrives on the heels of Met Office warnings that waterlogged conditions will likely continue until the middle of next month.
Sarah Davies, Head of Energy and Environment at the Met Office said: “Wet weather has persisted for many areas over the past few weeks, with repeated Atlantic low pressure systems leaving ground conditions particularly saturated across southern parts of the UK.
“While it is likely to remain changeable over the next few weeks, with further wet weather at times, the focus for the wettest conditions is expected to shift to western hills, where we would normally expect it at this time of year.
“However, given some areas elsewhere remain sensitive following recent rain, any further spells of rain as we head into early spring has a higher chance of causing some impacts than normal for this type of setup.”