Blood rain UK: What is it and what does it have to do with the Sahara?

You may have heard some blood rain could be heading to the UK this week - luckily it's not as scary as it sounds!

This happens when high concentrations of coloured dust or particles get mixed with rain, which give it a red appearance as it falls.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said "Saharan dust is being drawn north to affect the UK in the coming days, following recent dust storms in north Africa."

The red dust in the atmosphere could mean some colourful sunsets in parts of the UK, too.

The dust cloud comes from the Sahara, and drifts towards the UK on several occasions during the year, and mixes in the clouds before falling out.

After it rains it leaves behind a 'reddish' layer of dust which can coat houses and cars in tiny sand particles.

Experts say 'blood rain' happens a few times each year in the UK but is more common in countries like Spain and the south of France, which are closer to the Sahara desert in Africa.

The Met Office explains: "As in other parts of the world, the wind can blow strongly over deserts - whipping up dust and sand high into the sky.

"If the winds in the upper part of the atmosphere are blowing north, the dust can be carried as far as the UK.

"In order for the dust to get from up in the sky down to the ground, you need something to wash it out of the sky - rain.

"As raindrops fall, they collect particles of dust on the way down. Then when the raindrops land on something and eventually evaporate, they leave behind a layer of dust."

As well as the odd coloured rain, large amounts of dust can also turn the sky orange.

A well-documented incident of "blood rain" happened in 2001 in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where red-coloured rain started to fall and did so intermittently for several weeks.

The colour was strong enough to stain clothes.

There were also reports of green, yellow, brown and black rains.

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