A sandstorm from the Sahara Desert in Africa recently invaded Greece, turning the sky in the capital city of Athens orange, resembling a scene from Mars. Officials in the country said this is one of the most severe events of this kind since 2018.
According to the Associated Press, as strong winds blew sand dust from the Sahara Desert across the Mediterranean, engulfing southern Greece, Athens’ sky turned orange on April 23, presenting a Mars-like surface.
Kostas Lagouvardos, the head of meteorological research at the National Observatory of Athens, stated that this is one of the most severe sandstorms from the Sahara Desert since March 21-22, 2018, especially affecting the southern part of the country, including the island of Crete.
Authorities have warned that sandstorms can reduce sunlight and visibility, while increasing the concentration of pollutant particles, potentially leading to health problems.
The Sahara Desert releases 60 to 200 million tons of sand dust annually. While the largest particles quickly fall to the ground, the smallest particles can drift thousands of kilometers away, possibly spreading across various parts of Europe.
Although the intensity of sandstorm invasions varies across Europe, they most commonly occur in the spring and autumn seasons.
Over the past few days, the strong south winds carrying sand dust have also triggered wildfires in southern Greece multiple times. The fire department reported on the evening of April 23 that a total of 25 wildfires had occurred across the country in the past 24 hours.
A fire broke out on the island of Crete where temperatures had soared to over 30 degrees Celsius, near a naval base, forcing evacuations of residents and personnel from homes and nurseries.
Greece experiences severe and often deadly wildfires every summer. Last year, the country witnessed the largest wildfires in over two decades in the European Union.
In addition to Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean country of Cyprus was also affected by the sandstorm from the Sahara Desert according to the CNN report.
On April 23, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) stated that a low-pressure system in North Africa in mid-April had repeatedly swept sand dust across Cyprus, darkening the sky and deteriorating air quality.
Images captured by NASA’s Terra satellite showed a brown layer hovering over Cyprus on April 22.
The agency mentioned that the sand dust is expected to continue crossing the Mediterranean in the coming days, affecting both Cyprus and Greece.
(Click here to see images of Athens being hit by the sandstorm)