Irish holidaymakers face 'blood sky' phenomenon as Saharan dust cloud to hit Med beaches

Surfers at the beach under the dust and sand from a red calima storm coming from the Sahara Desert.

Irish holidaymakers abroad may face the “blood sky” phenomenon as they take to the beaches of Spain and Portugal this week, with the latest Saharan dust cloud sweeping over the continent.

A significant aerial sand deposit from the Sahara Desert is set to reach Western Europe by the end of the week, the latest in “an extraordinary year for the dust cloud cycle”, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service.