Politics
Blood Rain In The UK: Where, When, And Why Will It Fall?
On Tuesday, 3 March, the last “blood moon” we’re expected to see until 2028 rose.
Sadly, though, it wasn’t visible in the UK. But “blood rain”, which may be coming on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 March, is expected to fall in our skies, the BBC reports.
What on Earth is “blood rain”?
It’s an unofficial term for red rain.
The colour comes from red dust and sand. It can look red as it falls, and/or leave reddish dust splotches on surfaces it lands on when they dry.
These particles get caught up in the atmosphere when they’re kicked up by powerful winds and storms.
And once they’re up there, they can sometimes become part of clouds and, therefore, integrate into the rain.
They can be carried for “thousands of miles,” the Met Office explained, which is why particles from far-off deserts can fall as “blood rain” in the UK.
Where does this week’s “blood rain” come from?
The rust-coloured rain coming our way includes sand from the Sahara.
It’s coming on warm air currents rising from the south. It comes after Iberian Storm Regina has moved into the Western Mediterranean, bringing rain and (crucially) howling winds with it.
As those conditions raged on, they “drew up warm southerly winds from North Africa, lifting fine Saharan dust high into the atmosphere,” the BBC said.
Where will “blood rain” fall in the UK?
Because the rain comes from the south, England and Wales are expected to have a higher chance of seeing “blood rain”.
The “blood rain” is likeliest to fall on Thursday and Friday (5 and 6 March).
How common is “blood rain” in the UK?
It’s not that unusual for dust from the Sahara to reach us.
But it’s relatively rare for enough red dust to enter the atmosphere to create “blood rain” in the UK.
Usually, when we do get sandy or dusty rain, it comes in more drab yellow or rain colours.
We might get fiery sunsets, too
Remember the “blood moon” we mentioned earlier? That turns red because, during a total lunar eclipse, Earth sits between the moon and the sun, meaning rays have to pass through our atmosphere.
And because shorter wavelengths, e.g., blue, scatter more quickly than longer ones, like red and orange, the moon looks tangerine or crimson.
Something similar happens when the sun’s light is filtered through a lot of suspended dust.
The particles high in the air scatter sunlight, creating incredibly vibrant and “fiery” sunsets and sunrises, rich with golds, oranges, and scarlet colours.
I’ll be keeping my camera phone with me at morning and evening this week.