Sahara Dust Turns Sky Eerie Red in Santorini

The caldera views of Santorini looked similar a country from a sci-fi movie acceptable connected Mars. Credit: Katerina Filippou/Greek Reporter

A dense question of Sahara particulate has swept crossed Santorini and galore different parts of Greece connected Wednesday, turning the entity eerie reddish and disrupting aerial traffic.

The effect connected the cosmopolitan Greek island was truthful aggravated that the world-famous white-domed churches and caldera views of Santorini looked similar a country from a sci-fi movie acceptable connected Mars.

While the ocular is breathtaking, it was portion of a precise terrible upwind system. The aforesaid winds that carried the particulate besides brought gale-force gusts and “mud-rain” (when rainfall mixes with the suspended dust), making the ambiance consciousness dense and suffocating.

Credit: Katerina Filippou/Greek Reporter

For locals and travelers alike, it was a time wherever the “apocalyptic” quality of the scenery came with a steadfast reminder from authorities to enactment indoors and support their lungs from the precocious particle levels.

Credit: Katerina Filippou/Greek Reporter

Saharan particulate hits Crete

Saharan dust besides filled the entity supra Crete, peculiarly affecting the wider Iraklio area, importantly reducing visibility

Three inbound planetary flights scheduled to onshore astatine Iraklio’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport connected Wednesday were diverted to alternate destinations, touching down astatine the airports of Chania, Athens and Corfu.

One of the affected flights, primitively scheduled to question from Manchester to Rhodes, encountered mediocre visibility owed to particulate crossed the wider region. After being rerouted toward Iraklio, the craft was yet forced to onshore astatine Chania.

The dusty conditions person been intensified by Storm Erminio, a almighty strategy bringing dense rainfall, thunderstorms and beardown winds crossed Greece.

Health experts are advising caution, peculiarly for susceptible groups, arsenic elevated levels of airborne particles whitethorn airs respiratory risks.