Parts of Spain are likely to be hit by a Saharan dust with the sky turning hazy, experts have warned. According to meteorologists, a severe case of ‘calima’ that will enter Spain’s Canary Islands this week.
The phenomenon occurs when billions of dust particles from the Sahara Desert in Africa are swept into the atmosphere, creating a haze that can turn the sky yellow or red.
This natural event, often referred to as the Saharan Dust Storm, can significantly affect air quality and visibility across large regions.
The particles travel vast distances, sometimes reaching Europe and even the Americas, with the haze altering the color of the sky
According to meteorologists at El Tiempo, the ‘calima’ will ‘strongly’ impact the Canary Islands, particularly its eastern isles, from Christmas Eve.
It said in a report: “The haze in the Canary Islands will cause visibility to be poor, and it is foreseeable that the air quality will worsen considerably.
“In the Canary Islands, the rain and storms that have affected the archipelago will still persist for the rest of Monday and the first hours of Tuesday.
“These precipitations will be more intense and significant in the western islands.
“During the early hours of Tuesday, the rain in the Canary Islands will give its last gasps.
“The most significant accumulations could occur in areas of Tenerife and La Palma, with more than 10mm at times.”
It said ‘stability will resume’ during the afternoon of Christmas Eve, ushering in a ‘very stable’ Christmas Day in the archipelago.
However, after the rain, the ‘calima’ will take over in the Canary Islands.
The report continued: “The atmosphere will favour the entry of a mass of Saharan air with a high load of suspended dust.
“From the end of Tuesday, and especially during the early hours and morning of Christmas Day, the skies will be covered in suspended dust.
“The density of the haze will be greater in the eastern islands, where very high concentrations of dust are expected. This will cause, in addition to the cloudy skies, a strong deterioration of the air quality in the whole area.”
The ‘calima’ is expected to last on the islands until the end of Thursday.