New Saharan Sand Cloud Expected Until Wednesday: Will This Phenomenon Lower Temperatures in France ?

Ces poussières impactent la qualité de l’air. MAXPPP – Alexandre MARCHI

Ce mardi 30 juillet 2024, un nuage du sable du Sahara était attendu dans l’ouest de la France, cette nouvelle vague devrait perdurer jusqu’à demain, mercredi 31 juillet.

"With the rise of very hot air, dust and sand from the Sahara are back in France. The sky will take on a hazy and yellowish appearance on Tuesday and Wednesday in many regions due to the sand circulating at altitude“, indicates the Météo channel on X.

This sand helps limit the rise in mercury and lower temperatures. The Météo Channel explains on its site that these particles of sand have the effect of reflecting part of the sun's rays before they reach the earth. This phenomenon is called the albedo effect. But, this dust can also have a warming effect that impacts another level of the atmospheric layer.

This dust impacts air quality

The dust from the Sahara, by acting as "condensation nuclei", with the formation of water droplets around them, facilitates the formation of clouds. Some more intense or more frequent weather phenomena can result from this.

Although these waves of sand from the Sahara help to lower temperatures, they impact air quality. This dust affects the respiratory tract, especially for sensitive people such as newborns and the elderly.