“An intrusion of Saharan dust is expected tonight and tomorrow. So if it rains, it will be mud.” With this message on social media, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) reported on Monday the weather forecast for the start of the week, in which the significant phenomenon expected for Tuesday, March 3, is cloudy skies due to dust across the Community of Madrid.
The dust in suspension will be accompanied by “light and scattered rainfall that could be accompanied by mud,” which is expected to affect the Sierra in the morning and spread to the rest of the Community of Madrid in the afternoon.
According to Aemet forecasts, this situation will also continue on Wednesday, March 4: in addition to cloudy skies due to calima, light or locally moderate rainfall is expected in the afternoon, which may be accompanied by mud and occasional storms.
These storms may be locally strong in the center of the Community and in the Sierra, where scattered afternoon fog may also occur.
Haze and air quality in Madrid
The intrusion of mineral dust from the Sahara Desert has an impact on “sectors as diverse as health, agriculture, land and air transport, and solar energy,” according to the Aemet, which provides various resources for consulting dust in suspension forecasts at this link.
Another aspect affected by Saharan dust is air quality and, therefore, health. According to the Madrid City Council website, at the time of writing, air quality is fair in 19 of Madrid’s 21 districts: Vicálvaro, Villaverde, Villa y Puente de Vallecas, Usera, Carabanchel, Latina, Arganzuela, Moratalaz, Retiro, Centro, Ciudad Lineal, Chamberí, Tetuán, Chamartín, Salamanca, San Blas-Canillejas, Hortaleza, and Barajas.
Fuencarral-El Pardo and Moncloa-Aravaca (the latter only in one of its areas) are the only two districts of the capital where the weather is considered “good.”
In view of these episodes, the recommendations include advising the use of masks—especially in the case of people with respiratory problems—reducing physical activity outdoors, and using public transport so as not to contribute to pollution.