The sky of Libya, northern Africa, has turned red, reminiscent of the planet Arrakis from the movie ‘Dune’. A massive dust storm blocked out the sun and darkened the area. Northern Libyan cities such as Benghazi and Derna face severe air pollution due to dust.
According to Accuweather, an American private weather company, Benghazi and Derna in Libya were colored red and orange on the evening of the 23rd (local time) due to a dust storm. In the video posted on
According to the Libyan Observer, the dust storm was accompanied by winds of 70 kilometers per hour. Satellites showed dust covering a wide area off the northern coast of Libya, extending south into the desert and north to Greece.
As of 9 p.m. on this day, the air quality level in Derna, Libya, was 128 AQI, an unhealthy level. This is a level at which even healthy people can experience breathing difficulties and throat irritation during long-term exposure. The AQI was forecast to drop to 75 by the evening of the 24th, the next day.
The storm crossed the Mediterranean and affected southern Greece. A satellite image posted by the Collaborative Institute for Atmospheric Research (CIRA) on X (Twitter) showed a dust storm moving across the Mediterranean Sea toward Greece on the 23rd. In some parts of Greece, air quality has reached unhealthy levels due to dust. Residents had to take measures such as wearing masks to protect their respiratory system.
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