Skies over southern Greece turn orange amid Sahara dust haze

Strong winds carried dust from the Sahara desert over Greece on Tuesday, turning the skies a burnt orange hue in the last few hours of daylight.

The skies over southern parts of Greece have turned orange amid a weather phenomena which has seen dust clouds from North Africa blow across the Mediterranean.

Strong winds carried dust from the Sahara desert over Greece on Tuesday, turning the skies a burnt orange hue in the last few hours of daylight.

Landmarks in Athens such as the Acropolis have been bathed in an eerie orange glow amid the strange weather.

ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Dust from the desert of Sahara covers the city in orange haze in Athens, Greece on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images)Getty Images

Those with respiratory issues have been told to limit their time outside due to the air conditions.

The skies are predicted to clear on Wednesday as winds shift and move the dust, with temperatures dipping.

Sean Batty
Insight Sean Batty STV Meteorologist

Large plumes of Saharan dust are currently being pulled north out of Libya and into the eastern Mediterranean bringing poor visibility and health issues.

The worst affected areas at the moment, and the largest concentration of dust and sand, is across Athens, Kos, Crete, Rhodes and western Turkey.

The plume should have moved further east across Turkey and into Cyprus tomorrow with conditions improving in the Aegean and mainland Greece.

Sand and dust can be carried thousands of miles from the Sahara during storms and reach places like the eastern US and even here occasionally in Scotland during the summer. 

It’s sand from the Sahara that has been responsible for ‘blood rain’ and even red snow when it’s been mixed with precipitation in the clouds.

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