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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Sky turns orange as dust from Sahara desert falls across Spain - and UK could be next

The skies in parts of Spain have turned orange after dust from the Sahara was dumped after it crossed the Mediterranean with Brits being warned we could be next.

The mass of hot air covered large areas of the country as they woke up to the eerie glowing sky.

Storm Celia brought dust from the desert to southern parts of Spain, with Madrid and Murcia among the places lit up.

But as the dust moved in on Monday, Laboratorio de Climatologia at the University of Alicante warned people against staying outside for long periods.

They recommended the use of masks after Spanish officials issued extremely poor air quality ratings.

In some parts, locals were told to avoid exercising altogether.

The air change has also affected the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

Experts have now warned it's making its way to the UK.

BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood said the poor air quality could be felt in Britain as soon as Wednesday.

"There has been very poor air quality today in parts of Spain, and it could well affect us in the southeast and East Anglia on Wednesday", she said.

Cars are caked in dust as some Spaniards are told to stop exercising and not go outside for long (Europa Press via Getty Images)

Previously, Dr Andy Whittamore - the clinical lead at Asthma UK - warned of the risks posed by Saharan dust.

"Toxic air can leave people struggling for breath and can cause wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and even a life-threatening asthma attack," he said.

“Saharan dust could pose a serious risk to the 5.4 million people in the UK with asthma.

"Dust and other types of air pollution are a well-known trigger for people with asthma.

“People with asthma must make sure they carry their reliever inhaler (usually blue) with them at all times in case their symptoms worsen.

"We also advise people with asthma to continue to manage their condition with their preventer inhaler (usually brown) as this will help to reduce the inflammation in their airways and make them less likely to react to asthma triggers."

Calima is the Spanish word used to describe when there’s sand or dust in suspension in the atmosphere.

There are two types of this phenomenon.

Type A calima refers to natural haze from sand, dust and other particles that come from the environment, whereas type B calima refers to the haze that comes as a result of pollution or ash from a forest fire for example.

Some of Spain's larger cities struggle with poor air quality as a result of pollution, but the most striking episodes of calima come as a result of huge sand clouds from the Sahara blowing over to the Spanish territory - given Spain’s relative proximity with the 9.2million square kilometre desert.

Calima episodes tend to last between three and five days.

Skies turning orange across the Swiss Alps (@Alpenweerman/Twitter)
The dust cloud comes from northwest Africa, according to the Federal Meteorological Office (@Alpenweerman/Twitter)

A cloud of dust has also covered parts of Switzerland, giving it an unusual yellow glow, with the normally blue sky taking on an orange-brown hue.

Extraordinary images have been shared on social media showing this strange phenomenon in the Swiss Alps.

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