Sahara dust clouds cover Spain and arrive in Portugal

BARCELONA, SPAIN (AP) — The massive dust storm that arrived in Europe from the Sahara desert for the second consecutive day has made it difficult to breathe in many parts of Spain, and local government crews in France and Portugal were forced to work overtime to remove dust layers from cars and buildings.

The European Union's Copernicus air monitoring service, which tracks clouds, said that a lot of dust, called haze in Spain, “reduced air quality in many parts of Spain, Portugal and France.”

Although the fog had the greatest impact on Spain, the dust went much further and left ocher stains on the cars in Paris. Dust mixed with rain left a layer in the buildings in Lisbon.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency said the particles could reach the Netherlands in the north and Germany in the northwest.

Spain's “extremely poor” air quality, according to a national index, expanded from the start of Tuesday's event to include the southern and central regions, including Madrid and Seville.

Authorities have recommended the use of the same masks that are worn during the pandemic and to avoid outdoor exercise, especially for people suffering from respiratory diseases.

The skies in Madrid remained dirty gray, and visibility was reduced in many parts of the country. Municipal crews swept the sand on the streets.Interesting dust photos appeared on social networks, such as 9 dyed red images from some mountains near Madrid.

In southern Spain, dust mixes with rain and turns into mud.