‘Blood rain’ is one of those things that sounds really cool – maybe a bit sinister, even – but in reality is just pretty inconvenient. Some might remember back in March, when ‘blood rain’ was predicted to strike the UK. The reality wasn’t ‘blood’ so much as the sky turning a weird orangey colour and everyone having to wash loads of sand off their windows.
In any case, the UK has once again been warned about potential ‘blood rain’ at some point later this week. The illusion is caused by a combination of thunderstorms and high concentrations of red or orange dust in the air. This time it’ll be caused by a load of dust that has blown over from the Sahara desert.
That dust cloud is currently working its way over the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s expected to reach Europe – and southeast England – on Friday. This being the UK, rain is obviously also forecast for Friday. So, in other words, we could have the perfect recipe for ‘blood rain’.
On top of that – but on a separate note – the Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning, which will last from this evening (May 18) until tomorrow morning. The warning includes much of London, southern England and the Midlands, and it’s primarily advising people to take care when driving and to beware of low-level flooding.
We imagine that, should we get some ‘blood rain’ on Friday, the effect will be somewhat similar to last time. In short: get ready for some weird orange-hued skies and having to wipe a load of muck off your car.
More information on the Met Office weather warning can be found here.
Did you see that yesterday was officially the hottest day of the year in the UK so far?
Plus: temperatures may break 40C in parts of western Europe this week.