Red-orange Sahara Dust Storm

March 21, 2022

A powerful storm system brought dust from the Sahara Desert to southern Europe. AEMET, the Spanish state meteorology agency named the storm system Celia.

Impact of the dust storm

A thick layer of dust covered Spain and Portugal and turned the skies red-orange. The air quality degraded and a layer of mud accumulated in countries like Spain, Portugal, and France. The dust storm also brought powerful coastal winds along with flooding rains. The visibility in many cities of Spain was reduced due to the dust storms. Although there will not be any severe health impact, some may experience irritation in the eyes or a sore throat.

Origin of the dust storm

The dust storm was originated from Northern Africa. Later, strong southerly winds carried the dust particles across the Mediterranean Sea to Southern Europe. The dust storms are common in the spring for Spain and Portugal, but the amount of dust brought by Celia is very intense.

Blood rain in Spain

In southern Spain, flooding rains overlapped with the dust storm. In some towns, Mud rained from the sky. As an illustration, the falling of mud is called blood rain.

The dust cloud originated in Africa, crossed the Mediterranean, and reached as far as London and southeast England.

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