- Winds from north Africa additionally precipitated wildfires after temperatures soared
Mud from the Sahara Desert turned Athens orange yesterday as clouds blown throughout the Mediterranean Sea precipitated the town’s well-known landmarks to look extra like scenes from Mars.
Robust southerly winds coming from north Africa painted southern Greece within the uncommon hue because the day wore on.
And world-famous vacationer websites took on a novel look after the mud cloud swept throughout the capital.
Landmarks, together with the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, the Temple of Apollo and Tourkovounia Hill, in addition to the buzzing metropolis centre, have been painted orange by the winds.
The Martian-like filter might be short-lived, nonetheless, with skies anticipated to clear by Wednesday as winds shift.
The sudden climate growth additionally precipitated temperatures to soar with the mercury hitting 30C (86F) on the southern island of Crete – greater than 20C (68F) larger than most of northern Greece.
The robust winds have additionally fanned unseasonal wildfires within the south of the nation.
On Tuesday night, the fireplace service mentioned that 25 wildfires had damaged out throughout the nation previously 24 hours.
Three folks have been arrested on the Aegean Sea resort island of Paros on suspicion of by accident beginning a scrub blaze on Monday, the service added.
No important injury or accidents have been reported and the fireplace was rapidly contained.
One other blaze that broke out on Crete close to a naval base was introduced below management on Tuesday.
Greece suffers devastating, and infrequently lethal, forest blazes each summer season, and final yr the nation recorded the European Union’s largest wildfire in additional than twenty years.
Persistent drought, mixed with excessive spring temperatures, has raised fears of a very difficult interval for firefighters within the coming months.
