Orange skies and 'blood rain' are set to become more common in the UK thanks to climate change, an expert has said. Blood rain occurs when dust from the Sahara Desert is carried into the atmosphere and then falls in rain thousands of miles away from Africa, leaving everything coated in a red-orange film.

In recent years, residents of Spain, France and the UK have looked up to see an eerie sight: deep orange sunrises and skies thick with a yellowish haze. These hazy skies often deposit “blood rain”, rust-colored precipitation that leaves a fine grit on cars and windows.

Hossein Hashemi, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, said: "As climate change alters the world’s largest desert, Europe is finding itself increasingly downwind of a shifting environmental crisis."

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He said most of the dust moves out across the Atlantic, but increasing amounts spread north across Europe - particularly between February and June.

Hossein said: "On one hand, rising temperatures dry out soils and accelerate desertification, making it far easier for wind to dislodge fine particles. Under extreme warming scenarios, the amount of Saharan dust lifted into the atmosphere could rise by 40% to 60% by the end of the century."

He warned that Saharan dust can 'substantially degrade air quality, pushing levels of invisible particulate matter beyond health guidelines'. Hossein told The Conversation : "These fine particles, known as PM10, can penetrate deep into the lungs, triggering asthma and cardiovascular issues. In Spain and Italy, modelling studies suggest Saharan dust may account for up to 44% of deaths linked to PM10 pollution."

Dust can also reduce the efficiency of solar panels and disrupt aviation and road traffic by lowering visibility.

Early warning systems now provide predictions up to 15 days in advance, allowing health authorities to issue alerts for vulnerable people to stay indoors. Hossein said: "Whether orange skies remain a curiosity or become a regular feature of European life, governments throughout Europe and Africa must take this shared risk seriously."