A bizarre video shared Tuesday by AccuWeather showed a dust storm engulfing eastern Libya, making the entire region look kind of like Hell.
No, there’s nothing wrong with your computer screen and that ain’t no filter. The haze you’re seeing in videos shared on social media is real and it was caused by a dust storm that swept through Libya in north Africa and carried Sahara dust over the Mediterranean and into Greece, according to AccuWeather.
That’s no filter! A dust storm engulfed parts of eastern Libya today, casting a red glow and prompting warnings due to low visibility. pic.twitter.com/9aYWmmrLqD
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 23, 2024
HAPPENING NOW: *Orange sky* – African dust blanketing Greece created an eerie image that made Athens look like a colony on Mars, Greek meteorologist reportedly says pic.twitter.com/u4I5bOCyl8
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 23, 2024
The skies were described as “apocalyptic” by AccuWeather, particularly at dusk when the setting sun seemed to make every color more exaggerated.
Local reports from the cities of Benghazi and Derna in Libya say the storm was accompanied by wind gusts reaching some 45 mph. The wind and dust pushed AccuWeather’s air quality readings to around 128 on Tuesday night (local time), which is considered unhealthy for even the healthiest of individuals.
A dust storm hit #Libya‘s eastern cities on Monday and Tuesday with wind speeds reaching up to 70km/h. pic.twitter.com/loss2JmEhy
— The Libya Observer (@Lyobserver) April 22, 2024
A system over the Mediterranean Sea brings snow to the Alps and dust storms to Libya.
Comparing these two products can help scientists locate regions of dust. pic.twitter.com/MhbI4uCbxG
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) April 23, 2024
Similarly unhealthy air quality readings were taken in Greece but all appeared to drop by Wednesday. (RELATED: Devastation, Disease Continue To Plague Victims Of Biblical Flooding)
Temperatures in Greece dropped dramatically during the peak of the storm, Sky News reported. On the neighboring island of Crete, temperatures were more than 20 degrees Celsius higher than in northern Greece.
Some 25 wildfires erupted throughout southern Greece on Tuesday thanks to the strong winds fanning flames. Though the nation deals with wildfires throughout the summer months, April is considered unseasonably early for them to start.