A
dust
cloud
from
the
Sahara
Desert
in
Africa
covers
the
Acropolis
on
April
23,
2024,
in
Athens,
Greece.
Photo:
Milos
Bicanski
(Getty
Images)
Residents
in
Greece
were
witnesses
to
a
hellish-looking
dust
storm
this
week.
The
dust
originated
from
the
Sahara
desert
in
North
Africa
and
was
blown
across
the
Mediterranean
Sea
by
strong
winds.
By
Tuesday,
Athens
and
other
Greek
cities
were
blanketed
in
an
orange-red
and
potentially
dangerous
haze.
Though
the
dust
storm
had
begun
to
vacate
the
region
by
Wednesday
morning,
its
short
presence
made
for
some
eerily
beautiful
imagery.
Here
are
some
of
the
best
photos
we’ve
seen
of
the
storm
and
some
related
trivia.
Photo:
Costas
Baltas/Anadolu
via
Getty
Images
(Getty
Images)
The
strange
“dust
transfer
event”
was
codenamed
Minerva
Red
by
scientists
from
the
National
Observatory
of
Athens.
Image:
Petros
Giannakouris
(AP)
The
strange
phenomenon
undoubtedly
attracted
many
viewers.
In
the
photo
above,
you
can
see
tourists
playing
with
a
cat
at
Lycabettus
Hill,
as
the
city
of
Athens
with
the
ancient
Acropolis
hill
seen
in
the
background.
Photo:
Angelos
Tzortzinis/AFP
via
Getty
(Getty
Images)
A
couple
viewing
Minerva
Red
from
atop
Tourkovounia
hill
in
Central
Athens.
Photo:
Petros
Giannakouris
(AP)
As
beautiful
as
the
sky
looked
in
Greece
Tuesday,
Minerva
Red
wasn’t
necessarily
harmless
to
watch.
The
storm
covered
the
city
with
a
substantial
amount
of
fine
dust
particles,
which
led
local
officials
to
issue
an
air
quality
warning.
People,
especially
if
they
had
pre-existing
respiratory
conditions,
were
asked
to
stay
indoors,
wear
protective
masks,
and
avoid
outdoor
exercise
if
possible
until
the
dust
cleared.
Photo:
Milos
Bicanski
(Getty
Images)
Sahara-related
dust
storms
in
Greece
aren’t
too
unusual.
But
this
does
appear
to
be
one
of
the
largest
seen
in
recent
history.
“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,”
Kostas
Lagouvardos,
weather
research
director
at
the
Athens
Observatory,
told
the
AP/AFP
Tuesday.
Image:
Giorgos
Arapekos/NurPhoto
(Getty
Images)
Here’s
Minerva
Red
as
seen
from
the
premises
of
the
Olympic
Stadium
in
Athens.
Photo:
Costas
Baltas/Anadolu
(Getty
Images)
Like
so
many
bad
things,
dust
storms
like
this
one
have
and
are
expected
to
become
more
common
thanks
to
climate
change.
A
warming
climate
means
that
arid
regions
will
experience
even
more
droughts
and
a
greater
accumulation
of
dust.
According
to
the
United
Nations,
about
25%
of
global
dust
emissions
are
caused
by
human
activity,
while
some
areas
have
seen
a
doubling
of
desert
dust
in
the
20th
century.
Image:
Milos
Bicanski
(Getty
Images)
In
a
Facebook
post
on
Tuesday,
Kostas
Lagouvardos,
metrologist
and
weather
research
director
at
the
Athens
Observatory,
dubbed
Athens
a
colony
of
Mars.
Above,
you
can
see
why.
Photo:
Thanassis
Stavrakis
(AP)
By
Wednesday,
winds
from
the
west
started
to
chase
the
dust
storm
away
from
Athens.
And
as
of
Thursday,
it’s
now
expected
to
have
reached
the
Dodecanese
Islands
in
the
southeastern
Aegean
Sea.