Cloud of sand from the Sahara: should we fear it?

Strong winds affected the south-east of France on Saturday March 30. A cloud of sand, originating from the Sahara, gave an orange color to the sky in several regions. The Southern Alps look like a Sahara desert. The ski slopes have been covered with a thin layer of sand. The sky over Montpellier (Hérault) was obscured on the morning of Saturday March 30, with a thick ocher coat. Since the day before, the south and east of France have been crossed by a cloud of sand from Africa. The depression in the Atlantic has generated strong winds, which originate At Magreb and At Sahara, before going up to France.

Pollution alert

If this natural phenomenon is not rare, it has not experienced such intensity since February 2021. This sand causes more or less significant pollution. Fine particle alerts have also been triggered in six departments, including Bouches-du-Rhône. The cloud is expected to leave France during the night of Saturday March 30 to Sunday March 31 to head towards Central Europe.