The so-called Sahara sand is on its way to Europe. This is reported by Copernicus, the European body that continuously monitors weather and climate. That can mean that we have to queue for a long time for the car wash. Next weekend the dust would settle in North Holland, but according to our weatherman Jan Visser it is a storm in a teacup.
Visser believes that the Sahara sand does not reach North Holland. According to him, this is because the wind flow that moves the dust is not in this direction. He suspects that the dust cloud does not get any further than Paris. In addition, should the wind blow the dust this way, the rain from next Friday will wash the dust away immediately, so that virtually no inconvenience is experienced.
Not sand, but dust
Sahara sand is a large cloud of dust that is moved from the desert by wind currents. Depending on the wind flow, it can be blown up in all directions. Although the name suggests otherwise, this is not about sand, but about dust. “Sand is too heavy to get higher than two meters above the ground,” Visser explains.
The small dust particles between the desert sand are light and can end up high in the air due to a whirlwind. That dust is full of minerals that are good for the soil, explains Visser. The Sahara sand therefore not only produces dirty cars, but also fertile soil.
Blood rain
Twice earlier this year, that dust from the Sahara ended up in North Holland. It resulted in long lines for car washes† The fact that the dust settles here is far from special, explains Visser. “This phenomenon is as old as the road to Rome. If you open old books you will come across it. It used to be called blood rain.” The dust particles can give the air an orange glow.
It is not unusual that the Sahara sand is coming to Europe for the third time this year. “That has to do with wind currents, sometimes it goes north, sometimes south. This phenomenon is blown up again and again, but it is not new at all,” emphasizes Visser.
‘Texel sand’
Could the same phenomenon also arise from North Holland? Visser explains not. “It’s all on a smaller scale here and, moreover, there is mainly heavy sand and little dust here.” If dust clouds form from the province, it will only be experienced locally. “We’re not in the desert here either,” our weatherman jokes.