Scirocco: Sahara sand storms set to turn Italian skies orange
The skies over the south and west of Italy are forecast to turn yellow or orange from Wednesday, due to a particular weather phenomenon caused by red sand from the Sahara blowing in.
Clouds of desert sand will arrive in many parts of Italy, particularly the western coast and islands, by Thursday according to weather forecasters.
Gusts of hot, dusty air from the south - called the ‘Scirocco’ wind in Italian - are a familiar phenomenon in much of Italy, particularly in southern regions.
This time, clouds of yellow and orange dust are expected to arrive from the west, arriving parts of France on Wednesday before reaching Italy’s western coast and islands.
“Large quantities of desert dust suspended at the highest atmospheric altitudes are ready to reach central and southern Europe after a long journey,” writes Meteo.it, “and therefore also Italy, thanks to the Scirocco winds, intensifying between Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March”.
Dusty skies are already being seen in Alpine regions of Italy on Wednesday morning, according to media reports
Forecasts said the regions most affected by Thursday will include Sardinia, Sicily, Puglia, Lazio, Tuscany, Liguria, and Campania.
The strange weather pattern has already resulted in bright orange skies over Spain this week.
Le #sable du #sahara en #Espagne ! Photos de ce jour prises par mon beau père dans la région de Murcie. Incroyable ! #nofilter #sansfiltre pic.twitter.com/sqHRRN5c3R
— Maître Vince (@Maitre_Vince) March 14, 2022
Combined with expected rainfall, forecasters said, the sand is likely to accumulate as reddish dust on balconies, windows and vehicles.
The skies are expected to clear this weekend, with cold air currents arriving from the north from Friday.
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Clouds of desert sand will arrive in many parts of Italy, particularly the western coast and islands, by Thursday according to weather forecasters.
Gusts of hot, dusty air from the south - called the ‘Scirocco’ wind in Italian - are a familiar phenomenon in much of Italy, particularly in southern regions.
This time, clouds of yellow and orange dust are expected to arrive from the west, arriving parts of France on Wednesday before reaching Italy’s western coast and islands.
“Large quantities of desert dust suspended at the highest atmospheric altitudes are ready to reach central and southern Europe after a long journey,” writes Meteo.it, “and therefore also Italy, thanks to the Scirocco winds, intensifying between Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March”.
Dusty skies are already being seen in Alpine regions of Italy on Wednesday morning, according to media reports
Forecasts said the regions most affected by Thursday will include Sardinia, Sicily, Puglia, Lazio, Tuscany, Liguria, and Campania.
The strange weather pattern has already resulted in bright orange skies over Spain this week.
Le #sable du #sahara en #Espagne ! Photos de ce jour prises par mon beau père dans la région de Murcie. Incroyable ! #nofilter #sansfiltre pic.twitter.com/sqHRRN5c3R
— Maître Vince (@Maitre_Vince) March 14, 2022
Combined with expected rainfall, forecasters said, the sand is likely to accumulate as reddish dust on balconies, windows and vehicles.
The skies are expected to clear this weekend, with cold air currents arriving from the north from Friday.
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