Holiday hotspot faces “blood rain” as temperatures hit 25C.
Spain issues ‘rare’ warning over Canary Islands problem with UK tourists at risk
A Saharan dust cloud connecting Madrid to Marrakech is set to blanket parts of Spain with a rare weather phenomenon, it has been warned. The European Union holiday hotspot faces “blood rain” as temperatures hit 25C.
Spain, which oversees Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, is bracing for a massive plume of Saharan dust that is sweeping across the country this week, bringing hazy skies and health warnings.
WX Advisory said: “Saharan dust is on the way to Iberia, this can pose some danger for those with respiratory diseases. It will arrive tomorrow and will peak on Wednesday/Thursday. The sky will be white-ish, with tints of orange where the dust is more abundant.”
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The phenomenon, known locally as a ‘calima’, is being driven by a high-altitude isolated depression (DANA) moving towards North Africa.
AEMET, the Spanish equivalent of the Met Office, explained: “Dust in suspension in the Canary Islands, which leads to calima. Starting Tuesday, also in the Peninsula.”
“Calima results in hazy skies and reduced visibility. It also worsens air quality due to microscopic particles, which can reach the respiratory tract,” it added.
The rare phenomenon is also carrying an unusually mild air mass that will push daytime temperatures up to 25C in southeastern areas and the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands are preparing to bear the brunt of the “extreme conditions”, AEMET has said.
All The Canary Islands occasionally suffer from Calimas, most often in the winter months.
The calima is a hot and oppresive wind and occurs when there is high pressure over The Sahara, which in turn drives a southerly wind towards Lanzarote, bringing Saharan temperatures and sand with it.
Lanzarote Information advises: “During a calima the air turns a white or even a yellow colour and you can literally smell the sand in the air from the Desert.
“Visibility is reduced and there’s a kind of otherworldly quality to the light.
“Often strange insects accompany the winds – in recent years we have had locusts, ladybirds and dragonflies that arrive on the island.
“They rarely last for very long here, as there is so little for them to eat due to the desert nature of Lanzarote. Sometimes unusual birds are blown over on the wind as well, so look out for them.”
