The sand of the Sahara colors the skies of Italy yellow:what is happening and what the risks are

The dust transported from Africa to southern Italy moved rapidly northwards, also affecting France and Switzerland

For a few days now, in various areas of southern Italy, citizens have noticed - and shared photos on social media - the yellowish sky and a thick layer of dust.Now the same type of phenomenon is moving rapidly towards the European continent, and various areas of northern Italy (as well as southern France and Switzerland) are therefore also affected.The cause of the change in colour, and in some cases "thickness", of the air is now well known:it is the arrival of sand from the Sahara desert towards Europe, transported northwards by the sirocco winds.In Piedmont, a curious yellowing of the snow has also been observed in some sections of the Alps in recent hours.In the city, desert dust, especially if mixed with rainwater as happens in these hours, typically lands on cars, or even on clothes hanging outdoors, and the optical (and material) effect is evident.According to experts, the phenomenon typically lasts a handful of days and usually does not cause particular damage.However, in subjects who already suffer from such disorders, sandy dust can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis or silicosis.For the rest, we can arm ourselves with a little patience, and perhaps a good camera to immortalize the "strange" scenes we may find ourselves facing.

Cover photo:The yellowish sky above Nice, southern France – March 27, 2024 (Valery Hache / AFP)