It has been a common phenomenon in recent years but it does not stop being striking. Saharan dust or haze, who arrives in Spain from Africa and affects this week with special intensity to points in the south of the peninsula, it has left its mark in Aragon and especially in the Pyrenees, falling directly on the snow.
It is a phenomenon of suspended mineral powder what occurs, especially in Canary Islands, although now it has reached the peninsula. Last year it already happened in the month of February, both in the Pyrenees and in the main cities of the community, with less intensity. In urban centers, a layer of dust could be seen on parked cars.
? Saharan dust reaches the Pyrenees
?Cerler (Benasque Valley) pic.twitter.com/hGcDjXI9ha
– Benasque ?️ (@Benasque_) March 15, 2022
The entry of the haze, explains Rafael Requena, delegate of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) in Aragon, occurs in the southeast of the peninsula, in line with the movement of the Borrasca Celia. Hence, areas like Murcia or Alicante be the most affectedwith “unprecedented” dust levels in both cases.
This is not the case of the Aragonese community, which will have to face the storm this week, at least this Tuesday and Wednesday. “On Thursday and Friday it will be sending“, assures Rafael Requena. The dust in suspension, combined with the precipitations, could lead to a “mud rain”as he defines it, and it is a real possibility in the next few days.
Coffee with milk… from @llanoshospital @ValleBenasque via Jorge Mayoral #mineraldust from the Sahara desert deposited on the #snow of the #Ribagorza #Pyrenees #Huesca 03/15/22 pic.twitter.com/MfdIgv2Aw3
— AEMET_Aragon (@AEMET_Aragon) March 15, 2022
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Up to 14 days a year
The Mediterranean basin is one of the areas most affected by this phenomenon, produced by the coincidence of rains and Saharan dust clouds. According to AEMET data, At least 14 days a year this phenomenon occurs on the island of Menorca. In Melilla, the number rises to 12. In the Canary Islands, although haze intrusions are much more frequent than in the Peninsula, they are not usually accompanied by situations of precipitation, so they occur between 2 and 3 times a year.
