Saharan dust affects Romania. Apocalyptic landscape in Athens

A new wave of Saharan dust has arrived in Romania! After it rained on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a layer of fine sand settled on the cars. Here’s what we should expect in the coming days.

A new wave of Saharan dust has arrived in Romania

A new wave of Saharan dust has arrived in Romania! Many cars seem to be at the end of a journey on a muddy road.

By 1 p.m., forecasters warn that we should expect mud particles to settle in areas in the south and northeast of the country.

On Wednesday afternoon, the air mass loaded with Saharan dust particles will move to the northeast and away from the country, according to ANM.

This phenomenon also affected Greece, where a sandstorm colored the sky in intense shades of orange on Tuesday. The wind carried the sand particles across the Mediterranean Sea, covering even the Greek capital and creating a landscape as if it had been ripped from Mars, especially at sunset.

Meteorologists forecast that the atmosphere will gradually clear during the day. A drop in temperatures is also expected in that area.

In Crete, temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius and strong winds caused more than 20 wildfires in just 24 hours.

Saharan dust also covered Athens

Dust clouds from the Sahara covered Athens and other Greek cities on Tuesday. This is one of the most severe episodes of its kind recorded in the country since 2018, officials said.

After days of strong winds from the south, several regions were blanketed in a yellow-orange haze, limiting visibility and prompting authorities to issue warnings about respiratory health risks, The Guardian reports.

“It is one of the worst episodes of dust and sand concentrations in the Sahara since March 21-22, 2018, when clouds particularly invaded the island of Crete,” said Kostas Lagouvardos, director of meteorological research at the Athens Observatory.

Greece was already affected by dust clouds from the Sahara in late March and early April, which also spread to parts of Switzerland and southern France.

Authorities have issued warnings about the effects of dust particles, which can reduce sunlight and visibility, as well as increasing concentrations of fine pollution particles. These phenomena represent risks especially for people with pre-existing health conditions.

The Sahara annually releases between 60 and 200 million tons of mineral dust. While larger particles settle quickly to the ground, smaller ones can travel thousands of kilometers. Thus, they can reach the whole of Europe.

The Greek Meteorological Service said that the sky will start to clear from Wednesday.

Strong winds from the south of the country in recent days have contributed to unusually early wildfires in the south of the country.

Wildfires in southern Greece

The fire service reported on Tuesday evening that a total of 25 wildfires had been recorded in the last 24 hours in the country. Three people were arrested on the Aegean tourist island of Paros on suspicion of accidentally starting a wildfire on Monday. No significant damage was reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.

Another fire, which broke out near a naval base in Crete, was brought under control on Tuesday.

Strong winds from the south of the country in recent days have contributed to unusually early wildfires in the south of the country.

The fire service reported on Tuesday evening that a total of 25 wildfires had been recorded in the last 24 hours in the country. Three people were arrested on the touristic island of Paros in the Aegean Sea. They are suspected of accidentally causing a wildfire on Monday. No significant damage was reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.