Strong winds carrying dust from the Sahara Desert turned the sky apocalyptic "orange" over Athens and other Greek cities on Tuesday. Social media was awash with orange images of the Greek capital as locals and tourists alike were stunned by the phenomenon. One user posted a video of their windshield covered in sand, while another branded the scene as "apocalyptic" as they posted footage of their surroundings on X (formerly Twitter).
According to SkyNews, the orange sky over Greece deteriorated the air quality and spiked temperatures, in what officials said was one of the worst such incidents since 2018. On Tuesday, the daily high in parts of the southern island of Crete topped 30 degrees Celsius, more than 20 degrees higher than what was registered in much of northern Greece.
The strong southerly winds also fanned unseasonal early wildfires in the country's south. The fire service said that a total of 25 wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours. Separately, cops reportedly said that three people were arrested on the Aegean Sea resort island of Paros on suspicion of accidentally starting a scrub blaze on Monday.
Also Read | Video: 2 Horses Go Loose On Busy London Roads, Contained By Cops
The yellow-orange haze limited visibility and prompted warnings from the authorities of breathing risks, The Guardian reported. "It's one of the most serious episodes of dust and sand concentrations from the Sahara since March 21-22, 2018, when the clouds invaded the island of Crete in particular," said Kostas Lagouvardos, weather research director at the Athens Observatory.
Authorities warned that the dust concentrations can reduce sunlight and increase concentrations of fine pollution particles, posing risks for people with underlying health problems. The Greek weather service said the skies would begin to clear on Wednesday.
An X user posted a video saying, "What's going on - I never saw this - It's completely Orange - the Sun should be there."
"Yea I witnessed the weirdest sky over Athens yesterday," said another.
As the week progresses, the Eastern Mediterranean will experience a return of fresher and cleaner air, along with temperatures that will be closer to normal for this time of year, authorities said.
