I live on the Silver Coast, and we received quite a bit of Sahara dust. My car was completely covered in red dust. Glad to know there are some benefits to this dust. Our local expat group posted this: "Portugal will get its revenge. After having its atmosphere filled with Sahara dust, Portugal will now fill the skies over North Africa with smoke from grilled sardines".
Thanks for your weekly update. The Sahara dust has always ascended on us here in the Algarve over the years. My concern is the water shortage & the use of this valuable resource to wash it away. 🔆
We got some of the calima in Berlin over the Easter holiday. Air quality was rated very poor for a couple of days. I tried to stay indoors, because when I was out I could tell that my throat was irritated by the dust. Then it rained for a day and things have been better.
When we were in Mallorca last week, a lot of dust with a little overnight rain amounted to mud streaks on our rental. It was amazing to see in the morning. I should have taken a pic.😎
I've experienced the red car problem in the UK a few times - yucky cleaning. The darn dust sneaks under the blinds and French windows in the VRSA apartment and that entails several buckets of water washing the tiles. Thank goodness we don't have the British floor carpets as I dread to think how bad that would be.
With all white finishes on our balconies, walls and balustrades the calima is a big cleanup headache. Several hours of washing everything to having to repeat it upon its return . This year I broke down and bought a power washer, greatly reducing my cleanup time and reducing my water consumption.
It’s a lot more than an inconvenience to clean up. It’s an important part of the web of life. Saharan dust feeds much needed phosphorus to the Amazon Rain Forest, 27.7 million tons – enough to fill 104,908 semi trucks – fall to the surface over the Amazon basin each year.
I live on the Silver Coast, and we received quite a bit of Sahara dust. My car was completely covered in red dust. Glad to know there are some benefits to this dust. Our local expat group posted this: "Portugal will get its revenge. After having its atmosphere filled with Sahara dust, Portugal will now fill the skies over North Africa with smoke from grilled sardines".
Thanks for your weekly update. The Sahara dust has always ascended on us here in the Algarve over the years. My concern is the water shortage & the use of this valuable resource to wash it away. 🔆
We got some of the calima in Berlin over the Easter holiday. Air quality was rated very poor for a couple of days. I tried to stay indoors, because when I was out I could tell that my throat was irritated by the dust. Then it rained for a day and things have been better.
When we were in Mallorca last week, a lot of dust with a little overnight rain amounted to mud streaks on our rental. It was amazing to see in the morning. I should have taken a pic.😎
I've experienced the red car problem in the UK a few times - yucky cleaning. The darn dust sneaks under the blinds and French windows in the VRSA apartment and that entails several buckets of water washing the tiles. Thank goodness we don't have the British floor carpets as I dread to think how bad that would be.
With all white finishes on our balconies, walls and balustrades the calima is a big cleanup headache. Several hours of washing everything to having to repeat it upon its return . This year I broke down and bought a power washer, greatly reducing my cleanup time and reducing my water consumption.
We saw this several years ago when visiting Malaga, Spain. It was days after the calima, yet the signs of it were everywhere!
I think I still have dust in books from the Harmattan winds that would blow in Niger!
We had the same muggy yellow sandy days in Rome over Easter. In Italy winds from Africa are called Scirocco
It’s a lot more than an inconvenience to clean up. It’s an important part of the web of life. Saharan dust feeds much needed phosphorus to the Amazon Rain Forest, 27.7 million tons – enough to fill 104,908 semi trucks – fall to the surface over the Amazon basin each year.
Best. Blog. Title. Ever.
I felt the rain down in Africa, a lot of times.
Was it Toto who did the song about "missing the rains down in Africa"?
We are in the beginning of the pine tree pollen bomb season. I don't open the windows because I hate to clean it.
Stay well and wear a mask!
wonderful post. Thanks so much. Hugh from a Portuguese follow you from Portugal Algarve :) Hugh of light.
I live in the Midwest of the united states so I can't even image dust storms like what you've experiences, so interesting!
Nice post.