February 10, 2021 - Saharan Dust Cloud over Europe

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   Saharan Dust Cloud over Europe
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   On February 5, 2021, a shifting jet stream dipped southward towards
   Saharan Africa, creating strong winds that lofted massive amounts of
   sand and dust into the atmosphere. As the winds curved towards the
   north, the orange-tinted dust entrained with cloud and was carried more
   than 1,500 miles (2,414 km) northward to cover much of central Europe.
   Most of the dust rose from the Hautes Plaines region of Algeria and
   northeastern Morocco on February 5 where the intense start to the storm
   reduced visibility to about 800 meters (2,600 feet).

   Photos emerged from many places showing otherworldly scenes of deep
   orange skies and orange-tinted snow. Stunning images of dust came from
   the high mountain town of Bettmeralp, Switzerland and a ski resort at
   Anzere, Switzerland. Dust settled on cars and buildings throughout the
   southern and central Europe, including Lyon, France and the Costa
   Blanca, Spain. Along with a warning for older people and those with
   respiratory problems to stay indoors due to increased risk to health,
   EuroWeekly also posted the following description, “Residents of the
   Costa Blanca woke up on Saturday morning, February 6, to a thick
   covering of orange-yellow dust over their cars, terraces and roads, as
   an African weather front brought tonnes of Saharan dust to the region
   overnight. Up and down the Calles, people could be heard sweeping and
   hosing down their properties from early morning, but this may be a
   futile effort, as the phenomenon is set to continue until early Monday
   morning, February 8.”

   The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
   NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the far-reaching
   Saharan dust storm on February 6. A river of dust rises from Africa,
   crosses the Mediterranean Sea, then appears to entrain with cloud to
   sweep across a vast area of Europe.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 2/6/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (1 MB),  500m (3.4 MB),  250m ( B)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-02-10
 
