This weekend, rising temperatures will be accompanied by a new cloud of sand from the Sahara which risks tinting the sky. Many regions are affected.
It is a meteorological phenomenon that has been repeated in France for several years. A cloud of sand from the Sahara will fall on France. It will accompany the mass of hot air coming from Africa which will raise temperatures above 20 degrees or even locally 30 degrees as in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
The latest forecasts envisage a rare episode in its importance, which will concern a large part of France on Saturday April 6 and Sunday April 7. The Atlantic coast should be particularly affected and the wave of sand should grow until it is deposited in the Paris region. The Weather Channel predicts “a sky veiled by dust from the Sahara” over all French departments with the exception of those of Brittany and Normandy. Héraut, Aude and Gard should also be preserved.
According to meteorologist Guillaume Séchet on “We should expect a sky loaded with Saharan sand dust in many French regions. This will have the effect of considerably degrading air quality,” says the Météo-Villes website.
Deposits could be visible on cars. For humans, the risk is essentially centered on irritation of the respiratory tract, including a possible exacerbation of asthma in affected individuals. Last weekend, the South-East of France had already been affected.
The sky over Lyon and the Alps took on an orange hue on Saturday morning. We can expect such colors this weekend over a larger part of the territory.