It is not unusual for Saharan dust to reach parts of Europe. Occasionally, cars get a light covering of this orange-brown dust, typically deposited in a rain shower. European media however reported a more surreal and rare phenomenon in the last weeks of March, as skiers in western Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldavia were surprised to find snow in the same sepia tones. PROBA-V caught a glimpse of the dust when it crossed the Mediterranean, north of the Nile delta (red colour) in Egypt, as illustrated by this 333 m false-colour image of March 25th. Dust storms can carry large amounts of dust particles, up to a mile (1.6 km) high. While they can have a negative impact on health (e.g. lungs) and economy (reducing crop productivity), they are also a known source of mineral nutrients for the Latin American rain forest.