Colony on Mars? Athens was veiled in orange by African dust

An orange veil has Attica, creating an eerie scene - From tomorrow at noon, the phenomenon is expected to recede.

According to a Greek meteorologist, the African dust blanketing Greece created an eerie image that made Athens look like a colony on Mars.

"Our colony on Mars," meteorologist Kostas Lagouvardou posted on Facebook

As seen in photos and videos from Athens, an orange veil has covered the basin, creating an eerie scene. Among other things, the area around the Parliament and the Acropolis has been covered by dust.

Meteorologists recommend patience as the phenomenon is estimated to leave gradually on Wednesday.

The situation in Messinia, especially in the city of Kalamata, is suffocating, with images circulating on the internet that are reminiscent of... Libya.

Crete and the Peloponnese are particularly affected by the wave of dust from the Sahara. At the same time, concentrations are also high in Attica, as the Research Director of the Athens Observatory, Kostas Lagouvardos, told Proto Thema.

Yesterday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the afternoon, concentrations of 300 micrograms of dust per cubic metre of air were recorded in Crete.

Concentrations fell overnight to around 50 micrograms; today, after 2 pm, they began to rise rapidly. At 5 pm, 430 micrograms were recorded, and the trend continued to rise.

"From the night, it will start to leave mainland Greece, and from tomorrow at noon, it will clear from the Peloponnese and Crete," said Mr Lagouvardos, noting that this episode of African dust transport is expected to end on Wednesday.

According to the director of Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY), Thodoris Kolidas, the African dust will start to recede from Wednesday morning.

READ MORE: Kythera Struck by Apocalyptic Sahara Dust Storm.