Photos: Dust From the Sahara Turn Western Europe's Sky Bright Orange

Visibility in Madrid and cities like Granada and Leon was reduced to only a couple kilometers, the weather service said.

The country’s weather service forecast expects that the dust will continue through Wednesday. As the wind direction changes it is reaching countries like France, the Netherlands, parts of England, and northwestern Germany.

This mass of hot air from Africa was brought in by Storm Celia that delivered a relief of rain as Spain has been hit with a drought. Many people believe the storm is a result of changing weather patterns due to climate change.

It’s unclear at this point whether this is the worst dust storm for Europe on record but, as the Sahara Desert expands, so does the probability of dust storms. While small dust storms that travel around the world from the Sahara are common, it’s the large ones that are concerning. In 2020, a massive dust storm from the Sahara crossed the Atlantic and clouded skies in the Caribbean and Eastern US.

In the meantime, officials say if you need to leave the house to wear the same facemasks that have been used during the pandemic.