The dust of the Sahara desert left Africa and went to Europe. And in this, the sky of Athens, the capital of Greece, has become orange.
For the first time since March 21-22, 2018, the highest concentration of dust has flown out of the Sahara, officials said. The island of Crete in particular is covered in this dust cloud.
At the end of March and at the beginning of April similar clouds covered the skies of Greece. Several areas of Switzerland and southern France were also covered by the dust cloud. Greece’s meteorological office expects skies to start clearing on Wednesday.
Greeks with respiratory problems have been told to spend less time outdoors, wear protective masks and not exercise until the dust cloud clears.
60 million to 200 million tons of mineral dust is deposited in the Sahara every year. Most of it falls to the ground, but some fine particles can be carried far. Sometimes it reaches Europe.
Saharan dust clouds and high temperatures, especially in southern Greece, have made the atmosphere suffocating.
Meteorologist Kostas Lagovardos commented that the colored haze in the sky from a meteorological station looked like the red sky of Mars.
The fire department reported on Tuesday that 25 fires have broken out in Greece in the last 24 hours due to high temperatures.
A fire broke out near one of the country’s naval bases as temperatures soared above 30 degrees Celsius. Some local news reported that homes and kindergarten schools had to be evacuated due to the fire.
It is not unusual for dust to blow up from the Sahara and cover Europe. The density of these dust clouds may also vary from time to time. Such fogs are frequent in spring and autumn.
This time, a dust cloud formed over the eastern Mediterranean due to strong southerly winds due to low pressure in an area of Libya. In this wind, thick dust flies from North Africa to Greece.
This southerly wind has also brought desertification. As a result, temperatures on the Greek mainland and islands have risen above average by the end of April. The temperature on the island of Crete stands at 36.6.
The heaviest concentrations of dust will be concentrated in more easterly skies on Wednesday. Clear air will return to the eastern Mediterranean by the end of the week and Tampa will return to normal.
