Mediterranean cloaked under Saharan dust

The eastern Mediterranean, and in particular Crete Island, is choking under a layer of Saharan dust blown in by strong warm southerly winds which is turning the very air a dusty red colour.

The cut-off low in the central Mediterranean is pushing enormous amounts of dust into the eastern-central Mediterranean, reports Severe Weather Europe.

Strong Scirocco winds are blowing dust from Lybia towards Greece and the Aegean region, with dust moving across much of Turkey and across the eastern Mediterranean, as far east as Cyprus.

The dust is so think that the surface of the Mediterranean sea is not visible beneath it in satellite images.

Severe Weather Europe reports dust concentrations across the region will remain very high and some dust will be adverted into east-south east Europe, as far north as Hungary.

More waves of Saharan dust can be expected in the same region in around a week.