April 2, 2026, 11:25 amApril 2, 2026, 11:25 am
There have been strong winds on Greek Crete in the past few days. This ensured that Saharan dust and sand from North Africa were blown across the Mediterranean.
Video: watson/nina bürge
The effect of this is that the sky over the Greek island of Crete has been colored red. A red sky has also been visible over the African country of Libya in recent days.
Crete is a popular holiday destination for British tourists. British media reports that passenger planes had to land on the mainland due to poor visibility in Crete. They headed for airports on Corfu or the airport in the capital Athens. At least ten flights to Rhodes were canceled or diverted on Wednesday, but air traffic is now largely back to normal.
In addition to the strong winds, there were also floods on the coast of mainland Greece, including in Athens “BBC” reported. According to local authorities, one person died after he was swept away by water and trapped under a car.
Heavy rain and squalls
In addition to heavy rain and hurricane force winds, the air is also heavily polluted with Saharan dust, as the Greek radio reports. The southern Aegean and the region around Athens were particularly affected.
On Rhodes, the fire brigade was called out more than 50 times, mainly because of fallen trees. Power lines, lanterns and boats were also damaged. Civil defense called on residents and tourists via text message to restrict their movements. Flooding occurred in a suburb of Athens.
Strong southerly winds brought Saharan dust to Crete and the Cyclades islands of Santorini, Naxos and Mykonos. This turned the sky reddish and significantly limited visibility. Meteorologists expect continued heavy rain, thunderstorms and local hail. An increased severe weather warning applies to Crete. The weather situation is not expected to ease until Friday evening. (nib/sda/dpa)
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