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In the middle of a heatwave, the suffocating sensation of muggy weather will be multiplied by the addition of a mass of Saharan dust or ‘calima’ that will affect the air quality in the Region of Murcia and the entire southeast of Spain, covering cars and patios in red dust again and making the air hazy and difficult to breathe.

 

According to the European Copernicus programme, which monitors meteorological phenomena, the Saharan dust will be present throughout the western Mediterranean and France, but above all in Spain.

 

In the most affected regions, PM10 levels will exceed a daily average of 50 µg/m3, the upper threshold accepted for air pollution established by the European Union.

 

The worst of the dust cloud is expected to pass over Murcia this Tuesday and Wednesday, which are coincidentally the hottest days of the current heatwave.

 

According to forecasts from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Murcia could experience temperatures of up to 46ºC on Wednesday, and they have updated their weather warnings for tomorrow to red alert for some parts of the Region.

 

The regions on red alert due to extreme temperatures between 1pm and 9pm are the Vega del Segura, Valle del Guadalentín, Lorca and Águilas. In these locations it is expected that 46ºC could be reached.

 

The Altiplano area and the Northwest of Murcia maintain an orange alert in conditions very similar to those of today, from 1pm to 8pm, while the Campo de Cartagena and Mazarrón continue with a yellow alert level.

 

Copernicus researcher Mark Parrington said, “This dust transport episode coincides with heat wave conditions across Spain and the western Mediterranean related to the origins of an air mass over the Sahara. In contrast to other events in the Mediterranean earlier in the year, our forecasts show higher particle concentrations at the surface as well as higher in the atmosphere.”

 

In fact, the mass of Saharan dust is forecast to move across the Atlantic Ocean and has even reached the Caribbean, according to monitoring by the Copernicus climate service.

 

Image: Aemet