Greek skies turn orange above Athens as North African Sahara dust blows in

Skies over the Greek capital Athens turned orange after dust from the Sahara Desert in North Africa blow into Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

Skies over southern Greece turned an orange hue on Tuesday as dust clouds blown across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa engulfed the Acropolis and other Athens landmarks.

Strong southerly winds carried the dust from the Sahara Desert, giving the atmosphere of the Greek capital a Martian-like filter in the last hours of daylight.

The skies are predicted to clear on Wednesday as winds shift and move the dust, with temperatures dipping. On Tuesday, the daily high in parts of the southern island of Crete topped 86 Fahrenheit, some 70 degrees F higher than what was registered in much of northern Greece.

The strong southerly winds over the past few days have also fanned unseasonal early wildfires in the country’s south.

The fire service said Tuesday evening that a total 25 wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/greece-athens-dust-north-sahara-desert-orange-rcna149127

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