In the coming days, southern Spain, and Málaga in particular, will be ravaged by the arrival of a large amount of desert dust from the Sahara. The so-called ‘calima‘ is expected from Wednesday and is anticipated to hang over Spain until the weekend.
The ‘cálima’, the meteorological phenomenon for large amounts of desert dust that blows over from the Sahara to Spain, will reach the southern Spanish coast today. The advice is therefore to keep windows and doors closed and to put valuables inside if you do not want them to be soiled by the red-colored desert dust.
Current episode of desert dust less intense than in 2022
However, the Spanish weather service does not expect this episode to be as intense as at various times in 2022. The frequency and intensity with which dust from the Sahara reached the Iberian Peninsula last year was unprecedented, leading researchers to wonder what this could mean for the future . At times last year it was even so bad that outdoor sports were not recommended because of the poor air quality.
Still, an Aemet spokesperson says that the coming days will not be nearly as bad as, for example, in March 2022 when the highest concentration of dust in history was measured. The calima then, together with the rainfall, left a large part of the streets and facades in part of Spain stained red.
Code yellow due to high waves along the southern Spanish coast
The wind in the south of Spain also persists. From Thursday, the Aemet will even issue code yellow along the southern Spanish coast due to waves of 3 to 4 metres high. Strong gusts of wind will continue to hit the coasts of Málaga, Almeria, Granada, the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta, Melilla and the coast and countryside of Cádiz throughout the weekend.
