Walter Finch
AFTER a week of settled and warm weather, a new cold front sweeping in from North Africa is forecast to bring with it the dreaded ‘blood rain’.
Meteorological experts Meteo365 have made the prediction using their long range forecasting radar.
“Starting Thursday, Andalucia will experience calima, an intense Saharan Dust storm,” they state.
“Mixed with the rain forecast, there’s a chance of heavy dirty rain. Our current hourly forecast is updated four times a day.”
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Western regions of Andalucia appear to be most exposed as a mass of dirty air moves in through Cadiz and Sevilla before settling inland.
Coastal regions in the Mediterranean may escape the worst of it.
The dust and dirt will hit the region in the form of rain, and this time the Costa del Sol is not expected to be spared.
The so-called ‘blood rain’ in Spain causes chaos because it coats cars, windows and buildings in a stubborn layer of red Saharan dust that’s difficult to clean.
It also worsens air quality, triggering health warnings for vulnerable groups and those with respiratory conditions.
The foreboding forecast coincides with the start of Semana Santa – Spain’s holy week, famed for its nine days of pageantry and processions that bring the crowds out into the street.
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However, both today and Tuesday will be stable with almost clear skies, and only the possibility of some isolated showers in the afternoons in mountainous areas of the north and east of Spain.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 20C in most parts of the country before giving away to a more unsettled cold snap as the week progresses.
