The Sky of Greece Turns Orange: Is Cyprus Facing the Same Threat?

In Greece, an unusual phenomenon has been observed over the past two days: the sky has taken on an orange hue due to sand and dust carried by the southern winds from the Sahara.

Experts note that this is the strongest sandstorm in the country in the last six years. Costas Lagouvardos, the director of meteorological research at the Athens Observatory, stated that the dust cloud created “one of the most serious episodes of dust and sand concentration since 2018.”

Eyewitnesses are posting photos online of the orange sky in Athens and other Greek cities. Across the country, local residents woke up to find a thick layer of orange dust on their cars and homes.

According to meteorologists, Greece receives between 60 and 200 million tons of mineral dust from the Sahara annually. Larger particles settle quickly on the ground, while finer ones can be carried thousands of kilometers and cover the entire territory of Europe.

Due to the raging dust storm in Greece, a warning has been issued, advising people with respiratory illnesses to stay indoors.

It is forecasted that by this evening, the sky will clear up as the wind changes direction, and the air temperature drops.

It is worth noting that dust from North Africa has not only covered Greece but also Cyprus. Both parts of the island have been under meteorological warnings for several days due to high levels of dust in the atmosphere.

According to the Department of Meteorology of the Republic of Cyprus, the level of dust in the island's atmosphere will not reach the levels observed in Greece.

It is expected that the level of dust in the atmosphere of Cyprus will increase by Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning, and by Friday, the dust will disperse, and air quality will improve.