France has already encountered the first salvo of sand dust from the Sahara Desert. This weekend, as we already explained to you this Friday, is about a new offensive region.

What to expect?

The first sand dust from the Sahara is coming this Saturday. According to meteorologist Guillaume Séchet on Twitter, these are already visible from the sky over Spain and the Mediterranean. The Bay of Biscay was also affected this Saturday morning.

According to the “NASA / GEOS Europe” weather model, sand clouds are expected to arrive in the region later this Saturday, late afternoon. The Pyrenees will logically be the first to be affected. High concentrations in the region are still expected to occur in Occitania on Sunday morning, especially in the fields of the Mediterranean curve, according to the NASA model.

In the west, the sand reaches the Atlantic coast late Sunday and reaches the interior of the land by Monday afternoon. Data model From the European company Copernicus. In the central and southwestern departments of France, sand may rain.

A chapter on major pollution

This phenomenon continues to lead to pollution peaks. This weekend, the area is precisely under one foot Ozone Pollution EpisodeAtmo Occitanie reports from the Air Quality Monitoring Association.

Hérault and Tarn are at 4/6 of the ATMO air quality index “bad” while other sectors of Occitanie are at level 3, “down”. In these two regions (Hérault and Tarn) the company calls for minimizing “extreme outdoor activities”, reducing “leisure” and “hiking”, and “hiking” near “high traffic areas” and inviting those sensitive to take care of you.

A natural phenomenon

As in previous weeks, the event that affects us this weekend is natural. In fact, the hot and strong winds blowing in the Sahara are loaded with sand and rising towards the north. The latter is called Chirocco. By passing through a layer of sand suspended in the air, the sun’s rays acquire a sandy yellow or orange color under high concentrations.