Skies across Europe turned a fiery shade of orange yesterday as Saharan dust coated Spain.
Skiers in the Pyrenees tackled light pink slopes while the skies above the Swiss Alps were clouded in an ochre haze.
Spain’s state weather agency, AEMET, warned of “extremely unfavourable” air quality levels. The government urged people with breathing difficulties not to exercise outdoors.
A storm over Africa pushed the cloud across the Mediterranean, bringing rain, winds and a rise in the temperature to 23C in northern Spain.
The Canary Islands were particularly affected, with a thin coat of snow on the peaks of Grand Canary. Children were told to go home from school to avoid the wind. People in Murcia, southern Spain, said that the countryside looked like Mars. The conditions are expected to ease tomorrow.
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