Sirocco brings Sahara to the Alps

The French Alps woke to a coating of red sand this weekend beneath apocalypic skies.
The picture above shows Avoriaz.

The lifts remain closed but it's not the end of the world yet (even allowing for Brexit and Covid). This is not such an unusual event as the Sirocco wind often brings some of the Saharan sand to the Alps, but rarely in the quantities seen this weekend.

Skies were dark in Chamonix as eerie twilight continued all day:



Nearby in Saint Gervais a similar gloom enveloped the resort


In the Pyrenees, there was a stark contrast between sand-strewn and freshly fallen snow from one day to the next. This photo is from Ariege:

We usually get one of these storm once a year in Andorra, but this was the worst one people can remember saying those who have been here much longer than I have. I think it was the worst air quality ever recorded in Andorra.

This picture below is from Ordino Arcalis. Not exactly the best condition for your skis.

I live in Lanzarote & get the dust over here around a dozen times a year which pushes the temps up, we call them calimas.