Dust storm from Sahara turns southern Greek skies orange

The skies over southern Greece turned orange on Tuesday as dust clouds blown from North Africa covered Athens’ landmarks.

Strong southerly winds carrying dust from the Sahara resulted in the orange hue, and they have also exacerbated wildfires in southern regions of the country.

In mid-April, a low-pressure system over northern Africa swept dust over Cyprus several times, “darkening skies and reducing air quality,” Nasa said.

The Greek meteorological service said weather on Tuesday had favoured the movement of dust from Africa and this was showing up in “increased concentrations in the atmosphere”.

Daily peak temperatures in parts of southern Crete exceeded 30°C, which was more than 20 degrees higher than temperatures recorded in much of northern Greece.

On Tuesday, the fire service said 25 wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours.

Three people were arrested on the Aegean Sea resort island of Paros on suspicion of accidentally starting a scrub blaze on Monday, it added.

No injuries were reported, and the fire was contained.

Another blaze that broke out near a naval base on Crete was brought under control on Tuesday.

The skies were expected to clear yesterday, as winds shift and disperse the dust, with temperatures expected to decrease.

The eastern Mediterranean country of Cyprus has also been affected by the dust.

Greece experiences devastating and often deadly forest fires every summer.

Last year, the country recorded the largest wildfire in the EU in more than two decades.