Mud Rain and Saharan Dust: Why the Weather Change Is Stirring Mallorca

Mud Rain and Saharan Dust: Why the Weather Change Is Stirring Mallorca

Key question: How well is the island prepared for wet, sandy rain and its consequences?

Friday, 12 December 2025, and the sky over Palma hangs heavy. Morning fog muffles the sounds on Passeig Mallorca, delivery vans creep more slowly, and the smell of coffee blends with damp air. In Capdepera the thermometer showed around 16 °C at night, with 17–19 °C expected during the day — still mild, but unsettled.

Critical analysis

An Atlantic trough is pushing moist air into our region while Saharan dust sits in higher layers of the atmosphere. When rain falls through these layers, a thin brown layer — so-called mud or clay rain — lands on cars, terraces and plants. These deposits alone are not a weather emergency. It becomes problematic when reduced visibility from fog meets wet roads, or when the dust clogs open water and filtration systems. Drivers and hospitality businesses also repeatedly complain about the extra cleaning effort required after such events.

What is often missing from public debate

There is a lot of talk about precipitation amounts and temperatures, but little about the practical consequences: gutters blocked by dust deposits, soiled solar panels, extra strain on wastewater treatment plants and more work for street cleaning. Agriculture also suffers — fine dust settles on leaves and fruit and can clog irrigation systems. Short-term action recommendations for private households and businesses are often lacking.

Everyday scene on the island

Saturday morning in Son Servera: an elderly gardener quickly throws tarpaulins over her lemon trees, neighbors sweep terraces, a restaurant on the harbour promenade stacks chairs into storage. Small actions you don't hear about on the evening radio but that save work on Monday.

Concrete solutions

Private: park cars with windows closed, avoid driving with severely reduced visibility, only use windscreen wipers once the glass has been pre-wetted to avoid scratches. Cover furniture, plants and pools or clean them only after the rain eases — dry sweeping helps before water causes crusting. Solar panel operators should check modules after the event; a gentle rinse is more effective than hard scrubbing.

Municipal and commercial: prioritise sweeping plans for main roads and promenades, check street drains for blockages, coordinate cleaning teams with AEMET warnings. Nurseries and businesses with irrigation systems should keep spare filters and check them regularly. For ports and fishing businesses: secure nets and remove light deposits so drying and processing run cleaner.

Traffic and health: those who experience fog combined with mud rain should drive more slowly and with due caution. Pedestrians and cyclists should consider reflective clothing. People with respiratory problems notice Saharan dust more; monitor current AEMET dust situation reports and reduce outdoor activities if necessary.

Concise conclusion

The upcoming weather change is not a catastrophe — but it will likely bring a week of dirty streets, more cleaning and annoyance over brown coatings on cars and furniture. A bit of preparation, quick coordination among municipal cleaning services and some tarpaulins are often enough to keep the trouble small. If you pause now and cover your terrace, you save yourself a week of scrubbing later.