Denmark could see half a month’s worth of rain fall on Monday and Tuesday, as well as potentially experiencing a weather phenomenon known as “blood rain”.
Up to 20 millimetres of rain could fall in some areas of Jutland and Funen, according to public broadcaster DR, which is the equivalent of half of the total average rain for April. The rest of the country is likely to see rain, but not to the same extent.
At the same time, large amounts of sand and dust particles are blowing in over Denmark from the Sahara Desert, which ‒ if it occurs at the same time as the rainfall ‒ could cause so-called blood rain.
If you live in Eastern Denmark, you may have already noticed particularly red skies during sunrise, which is one sign that there’s a lot of sand from the Sahara in the atmosphere. The dust and sand is expected to spread across much of the rest of the country throughout Monday.
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When this occurs alongside heavy rainfall, the dust particles bind to raindrops and fall to the ground along with the rain. The name for the phenomenon is due to the fact that this leaves red marks on light-coloured surfaces, such as newly-washed cars, laundry hung outdoors and on bike seats.
For that reason, it might be a smart idea to wait until later in the week to wash your car or dry your laundry outdoors.