Sandstorm has wreaked havoc over the Canary Islands, a popular Spanish island. This happened after sandstorm from clouds of red sand from the Sahara left the region with dust.
This weather phenomenon is called Calima, and it happens to be dust-filled winds from the Sahara. When these winds are strong, they blow out of Morocco or Western Sahara region to over the Canary Islands. These winds are warm in nature and the current dust storm has already increased temperatures in Gran Canaria.
Moreover, due to the storm, visibility reduced, and aircraft could not take off. In fact, several flights from La Palma, Gran Canaria, North and South Tenerife and Lanzareto airports remained grounded due to the weather conditions. The airports however, remained open for passengers to wait.
Passengers were asked to contact their airline and get accommodation for the night if they had cancelled. Several people have been forced to stay at the islands for a longer duration due to flight cancellations.
This Saharan dust is expected to spread across the Canaries over the coming days. Thus, the Canary Islands government has asked people who have chronic respiratory issues to not stay out without medication and keep their windows and doors closed.
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