Spainish Sky Turns Orange As Sahara Dust Phenomenon Sweeps The Country

Dust and sand blown from the Sahara desert covered parts of Spain on Tuesday, turning the sky orange and coating streets.

It prompted the Spanish authorities to issue extremely bad air quality warnings for capital Madrid and a large swath of the country. The national air quality index listed the capital and large parts of the southeast coast as ¡°extremely unfavorable¡± ¡ª its worst rating, the Associated Press reported.

Euronews

The Climatology Laboratory at the University of Alicante warned people against staying outside for long periods, citing unfavourable air quality caused by the exceptional meteorological phenomenon.

Spain¡¯s public health officials warned citizens to avoid outdoor exercise and use face masks when outside.

Although harmful to human health, the dust clouds bring nutrient-laden minerals from the Sahara, the planet¡¯s largest and hottest desert, to ocean life and vegetation.

Wow. #SaharanDust cloud turns #Spanish skies orange. ?pic.twitter.com/IjiSxlZT93

¡ª Auron (@auron83591234) March 15, 2022

The dust storm from Sahara has been described as ¡°extraordinary and very intense" by Spain's weather service, while adding that it was unclear if it was the worst episode of its kind on record.

The dust is expected to continue to accumulate through Wednesday and it could reach northwards as far as the Netherlands and northwestern Germany.

Stunning photos and videos going viral show how the desert dust plume lit up the skies in Spain with a breathtaking golden glow. Skies basked in an orange hue after the dune-like haze swept across the country from the Sahara.

The weather service said that the mass of hot air from Africa, which was brought by Storm Celia, delivered some much needed rain for drought-hit Spain. It also upped temperatures in some areas to 20 C (68 F).

An orange haze has descended on much of Murcia and Alicante on Monday March 14 as the promised #StormCelia has delivered early, with banks of #SaharanDust dramatically reducing visibility and turning the afternoon sky to sunset. https://t.co/rG1CsGqCFg pic.twitter.com/w0SDIwOZAg

¡ª Spanish News Today (@MurciaToday) March 14, 2022

Rub¨¦n del Campo, spokesman for Spain¡¯s weather service, said that while it was unclear if climate change had a direct link to this episode, the expansion of the Sahara desert over the past century has increased the potential for larger dust storm events in Europe.

He also said that the increasingly turbulent weather patterns linked to climate change could play a part.

¡°There are many concerns regarding the impact that climate change is having on the patterns of the frequency and intensity of the storms that favor the arrival of dust to our country,¡± Del Campo told the Associated Press.

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