dust from the Sahara desert envelops cities (and worries experts)

It looks like Mars, but it’s Greece. On Tuesday, sand clouds from the Sahara desert engulfed Athens and the entire southern part of the country, “coloring” the sky orange and creating a suggestive but at the same time worrying spectacle.

Yellow sky for the sand of the Sahara: here are the neighborhoods with the highest data. The Capitol: «The fragile must not expose themselves»

The phenomenon

Orange skies laden with Sahara sand. This is what the inhabitants of Southern Greece saw yesterday – and continue to see today. Due to strong winds coming from North Africa, the skies of many Greek cities have in fact turned an orange hue, giving a fascinating spectacle to residents and tourists. This situation will last until this afternoon, when the winds will move and carry away the dust, with temperatures dropping. Yesterday, in fact, the daily maximum in some parts of the southern island of Crete exceeded 30 degrees, 20 higher than what was recorded in the north of the country.

The fires

But the strong southerly winds of the last few days have not only brought orange skies, but also early and unseasonal fires in the south of the country. According to the Fire Brigade, in the last 24 hours alone, 25 fires have broken out across Greece. Fortunately, no significant damage or injuries were reported and the fires were quickly put out.

The health risks

Suggestive yes, but also dangerous. The phenomenon of dust arriving from the Sahara is in fact causing experts to worry. According to the director of meteorological research for the Athens Observatory, recent events are in fact one of the most serious episodes of dust concentration from the Sahara that have occurred since March 2018, reasons why the local authorities have already warned the population of the risks for health, especially for the respiratory system.

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