Algerian sand storm

In mid-February 2026, powerful winds triggered a lot of Saharan dust to blow across Algeria.

This false-colour image was captured on 14 February by Copernicus Sentinel-2 over the Tanezrouft Basin in central Algeria and shows a massive dust cloud.

The false-colour combination clearly reveals a distinct dust veil, rendered in cyan hues, extending from the top-left across the centre of the image. 

In the right of the image, the shades of red and brown on the surface denote bare sandstone outcrops, steep canyon walls and stone plateaus, while areas displaying colours from cyan to white are salt flats, evaporite basins, dry riverbeds and multistorey sand dunes known as ‘ergs’.