A dust storm on Tuesday evening turned skies red and orange in Benghazi and Derna, cities in northern Libya, Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea.
Videos showed scenes of apocalyptic orange and red skies, buildings and trees. The color was likely exaggerated by the approaching dusk. The dust storm also reached across the Mediterranean Sea to cast an orange hue in southern Greece.
Data for Derna was not available, but the dust storm was accompanied by winds as high as 45 mph (70 km/h) according to The Libya Observer. On satellite, dust could be seen over a wide part of Libya’s northern coast, stretching southward into the desert and northward to Greece.
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A satellite animation shows clouds (white and gray) and dust (yellow) moving over the city of Derna, which experienced a heavy dust storm. (NOAA/CIRA) |
AccuWeather’s Air Quality readings for Derna, Libya, were still in the unhealthy range at 9 p.m. Tuesday local time — 128 AQI — a number at which healthy individuals may experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation with prolonged exposure. That number was forecast to fall slowly to 75 AQI by Wednesday evening.
Air quality was also reaching unhealthy levels in parts of Greece due to dust blowing northward over the Mediterranean Sea.
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AccuWeather AQI (Air Quality) readings were in the Unhealthy to Dangerous levels in much of northern Libya and Egypt on the evening of Tuesday, April 23, 2024. |
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