Believe it or not, in what can be termed as a blade runner scenario, the entire island of Crete turned orange marmalade color. The skies and the island was enveloped in a veil of sepia and orange created by dust blowing from the Sahara desert which was whipped up by winds blowing from that direction.
The phenomenon although not as intense as what happened last week usually occurs every five days during this time of the year as dust from the African coast is carried by winds blowing from the region.
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The phenomena itself isn’t uncommon where even Britain witnessed an orange haze from dust carried by Hurricane Ophelia. Tourists and locals alike were amazed to wake up and find themselves in an atmosphere much like the movie Blade runner in 2049.
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The Greek island which is extremely popular with holidaymakers from Europe and parts of the world was cast into an unworldly surreal scene after being covered entirely with plumes of orange dust from the Sahara desert.
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Photographs taken by amateurs and professionals alike captured the futuristic scenes when the veil of dust carried by southerly winds lay suspended in the atmosphere of the Island.
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Some parts of the island appeared a bright orange while others appeared yellow. The amazing color looked eerie and haunting and remained for an entire day.
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Crete Port looked bizarre with the orange hue. The Saharan air layer is a mass of dust and dry air that forms over the Sahara and then is carried by winds blowing into Europe. The phenomena occurs during spring and early autumn.
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The air layer of the Sahara features at a height of 5,000 to 20,000 feet above the earth’s surface. It is carried by extremely strong winds. But here comes the bummer. The air also contains zinc, chromium, lead and vanadium and has known to cause severe health problems in the local Greek population.
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Crete is a popular vacation spot with bright blue skies and azure waters. It is frequented by tourists and celebrities alike. This image was taken a day after the island was enveloped in orange.
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The orange glow that the entire island was bathed in lasted just one day. It occurred on 22nd March when Crete turned orange making the island look like Mars.
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The orange dust doesn’t just affect the island of Crete; it also blows across Europe and can reach as far as the United States.
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In Crete, several people were affected where health centers saw a footfall larger than usual with people reporting respiratory problems because of the dust.
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In 2013, dust from the Sahara had travelled along with winds that took them across the Atlantic and covered Texas in haze. Allergies and respiratory problems were reported along with heart problems and lung infections. Doctors had advised people to stay indoors till the cloud passed within a few days.
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The occurrence of Saharan dust being carried by winds across Europe is a growing problem where snow also turns range. But last Thursday the 22nd of March was the largest incidence of Saharan winds that engulfed the Greek island in a rust colored haze.
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The orange colored haze was reported as far as areas in Turkey. According the Athens observatory, the phenomena is the largest episode of orange dust in ten years even though it occurs every five days during this time of the year.
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Even the entire harbor turned an eerie yellow and then it again looked orange as if from a moment in the future much like blade runner when Ryan Gosling found himself in the futuristic world.
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Not many will believe these photograph of Crete turning orange as it will of course be regarded as photoshopped but this is the real thing and though it looks amazing, it is dangerous to health.
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