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.
Minerva Red
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.
A Spectator Event
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.
Taking It All In
Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty (Getty Images)
A couple viewing Minerva Red from atop Tourkovounia hill in Central Athens.
Potential Hazard
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.
A Big One
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.
An Olympic View
Image: Giorgos Arapekos/NurPhoto (Getty Images)
Here’s Minerva Red as seen from the premises of the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
The Dust Will Get Worse
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.
The Red City
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.
Returning to Normal
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.