The sky over southern Greece took on an ominous orange hue on Tuesday as a cloud of dust from North Africa crossed the Mediterranean Sea, engulfing the Acropolis and other sights in Athens, AP reports.
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Strong southerly winds carried dust from the Sahara desert, giving the Greek capital’s atmosphere a Mars-like appearance in the final hours of daylight. Skies are forecast to clear on Wednesday as the wind shifts and stirs the dust, while also bringing down temperatures.
On Tuesday, daytime highs exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) in parts of the southern island of Crete, 20 degrees C higher than most of northern Greece.
Strong southerly winds have also fueled unseasonal wildfires in the south of the country in recent days. The fire service reported on Tuesday evening that 25 brush fires had broken out across the country in the past 24 hours.
Three people were arrested on the Aegean resort island of Paros on suspicion of accidentally starting a bushfire on Monday.
Another fire that broke out in Crete near a naval base was put out on Tuesday.
Greece experiences devastating and often deadly forest fires every summer, and last year the country recorded the largest forest fire in the European Union in 20 years.
The ongoing drought, combined with high spring temperatures, raises serious concerns about a particularly difficult fire season in the coming months.
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Tags: PHOTO Martian skies Athens Greek capital acquired orange hue
