Saharan dust in Attica: forecast and mud rain
When dust from the Sahara arrives and clears, whether the rain will bring mud, and what to do in the meantime.
Source: Open-Meteo ·
No Saharan dust or mud rain forecast through Sat 7/11.
Forecast for: Athens
The coming days
Dust at ground level over the next 91 hours, peaking at 1 µg/m³ (tomorrow 09:00).
- Light (from 20 µg/m³)
- Episode (from 50 µg/m³)
- Rain
- Possible mud rain
-
Today
peak 0 µg/m³
24-hour PM10 14 µg/m³
-
Thu 5/11
peak 1 µg/m³
24-hour PM10 13 µg/m³
-
Fri 6/11
peak 0 µg/m³
24-hour PM10 14 µg/m³
-
Sat 7/11
peak 0 µg/m³
24-hour PM10 8 µg/m³
What the stations measure
Source: European Environment Agency ·
Hourly measurements from the Ministry of Environment's official stations in Attica. They are provisional and arrive about two hours late.
Nearest station: Aristotelous, 1 km. PM10 15 µg/m³ (02:00–03:00). The forecast for the same hour said 12.
| Station | PM10, latest hour | PM10, 24 hours | PM2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lykovrysi Suburban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 23 | — | 12 |
| Peristeri Urban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 21 | 19 | — |
| Piraeus Urban, traffic · 02:00–03:00 | 16 | 25 | 4 |
| Aristotelous Urban, traffic · 02:00–03:00 | 15 | 28 | 3 |
| Agia Paraskevi Suburban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 15 | 15 | 6 |
| Nea Smyrni Urban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 14 | 18 | — |
| Marousi Urban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 13 | 19 | — |
| Koropi Suburban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 13 | 16 | — |
| Thrakomakedones Suburban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 12 | 17 | 2 |
| Elefsina Suburban, industrial · 02:00–03:00 | 12 | 17 | 6 |
| Liosia Suburban, background · 02:00–03:00 | 11 | 19 | — |
µg/m³. Traffic stations sit beside main roads and always measure more particles; background stations show what the surrounding area breathes. When PM2.5 is a small part of PM10 the particles are coarse, like dust; when it comes close to PM10 they are fine, like smoke.
In practice
- Washing the car: a good idea, no dust or rain for the whole forecast (to Sat 7/11).
- Hanging washing outside: today, no dust or rain until sunset.
Dust or pollution?
Saharan dust is coarse, so it mostly raises PM10 and less so PM2.5. The model works out separately how much of the PM10 is dust, and when it is more than half we call it "mostly dust". The same model underestimates winter smoke from fireplaces and stoves, so we do not name that here.
What the Ministry of Health advises
The advice steps up with the 24-hour average PM10 concentration. Sensitive groups are children and infants, older people, and anyone with lung disease or chronic heart or respiratory conditions.
-
51–75 µg/m³
- Sensitive groups
- Limit any strenuous exercise, especially outdoors.
- General public
- No advice.
-
76–100 µg/m³
- Sensitive groups
- Limit any strenuous activity outdoors, and over-65s their physical activity. People with asthma may need their reliever more often.
- General public
- Anyone with sore eyes or throat, a cough or a blocked nose should limit activity outdoors.
-
101–150 µg/m³
- Sensitive groups
- Limit exercise and time spent outdoors. People with asthma may need their reliever more often.
- General public
- Everyone should limit physical exercise, especially with sore eyes or throat, a cough or a blocked nose.
-
Over 150 µg/m³
- Sensitive groups
- Avoid all outdoor activity and time on busy roads. If symptoms persist, contact your doctor.
- General public
- Everyone should avoid outdoor exercise and limit time outdoors, especially on busy roads. Nurseries and schools close.
During an episode the advice is to stay indoors with the windows shut, run the air conditioner on recirculation, and avoid smoking, fireplaces and grills indoors.
Source: Ministry of Health, circular Δ1(δ)/ΓΠ οικ. 22713 of 21 May 2025. In every episode the Ministry announces its own advice for Attica, and that takes precedence.
How we know
The measurements are from the stations of the national air-pollution monitoring network, through the European Environment Agency. The forecast is from the European Union's Copernicus service (CAMS), the one the Ministry of Health also points to, through Open-Meteo, on a grid of about 11 km and for about four days. It is a model, not a station measurement, and in large episodes it can underestimate the peaks. Mud rain is not forecast directly: we infer it when rain falls while there is dust at ground level or a lot of particles higher in the atmosphere, which is why we call it "possible".