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Thunderstorms to bring rare ‘blood rain’ to Germany

The Local Germany
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Thunderstorms to bring rare ‘blood rain’ to Germany
A rainy day in Düsseldorf. Photo: DPA

On Thursday evening and into Friday showers and thunderstorms will arrive, bringing with them an unusual phenomenon known as blood rain.

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Most of the rain, which actually ranges in colour from orange-red to brown, is predicted to fall in northern Germany and in Hamburg, according to weather.com.

But what exactly is blood rain?

The term is used to describe rain carrying sand from the Sahara. When the rain falls it has a reddish colour, though likely far from blood red in hue. When it dries it leaves a thin layer of dust on houses, cars and outdoor furniture.

Its occurrence is also rather rare; the last blood rain seen in Germany was in April 2016. Prior to that the curiosity made an appearance in spring 2014.

But if you’re lucky and live in the north of the country, you may be able to see it for yourself very soon. That is, if you're willing to stay up. With winds blowing in from the south on Thursday, blood rain is predicted to fall between 11pm and 3am.

According to weather.com meteorologists, whether the blood rain will fall in northern Hesse and in southern Lower Saxony is still unclear. The probability that Kassel, Hesse and Göttingen, Lower Saxony will get showers is predicted at up to 90 percent.

In the Middle Ages, people were fearful of the phenomenon as the rain was considered a harbinger of bad luck.

But blood rain isn’t dangerous or poisonous; you can’t get sick or die from it.

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