Dust Storm in Greece, Snowstorm in Finland Cause Weather Chaos

Rewritten Article:
A stunning orange haze caused by dust from the Sahara desert has enveloped parts of Greece, creating awe-inspiring scenes and prompting health warnings from authorities. The Greek meteorological service explained that favorable weather conditions had facilitated the movement of African dust particles into Europe, resulting in increased concentrations in the atmosphere, particularly in southern regions.
The atmospheric phenomenon known as “dust storms,” involving airborne desert or dirt storm clouds with fine particles whirled and sustained for significant periods by strong winds, is not uncommon but it does occur occasionally. The eastern Mediterranean country of Cyprus has also been affected recently; a low-pressure system over northern Africa transported dust to the island several times in mid-April, darkening skies and reducing air quality as reported by NASA on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Finland is experiencing an unusually white April week due to heavy snowfall that brought public transportation services across southern regions of the country to a standstill. The Finnish capital was hit with more than 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) of snow in some areas; this caused flight cancellations and delays at Helsinki Airport, while road accidents also occurred as police reported over a dozen such incidents but fortunately without any serious injuries.
While snowfall is not uncommon during winter months in Finland’s north, the recent weather conditions are considered unusual for late April by Johannes Laitila, press officer of public transport operator HSL (Helsinki Regional Transport Authority). He urged travelers to allow more time for their journeys due to this freakish spring snowfall. Pictures posted on social media depicted people walking through thick orange haze in Greece while in Finland, residents were seen trudging through deep snow and ice with umbrellas under freezing rain which almost instantaneously converts into dangerous black icing conditions that threaten flights at airports like Helsinki.
Finland’s airport operator Finavia explained that overnight freezing rain had fallen in the area, necessitating more runway de-icing and aircraft wing de-icing than usual for this time of year due to the adverse weather effects causing major delays to some services on both road and air routes within these nations.
This entry was posted by Staff Writer on April 29, 2015 at 8:43 pm, and is filed under General Science – Earth Sciences – Meteorology (Atmospheric Sciences). Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.
As Greece’s dust-blanketed hills shone with orange light against blue skies, Finland was experiencing an unusually white April week due to heavy snowfall that brought public transportation services across southern regions of the country to a standstill; roads in southwestern parts saw up to a dozen road traffic accidents albeit none too severe. Photographs taken on these two European nations showed people walking through thick orange haze and ice, carrying umbrellas as snow falls amid freezing rains, high volumes seen transforming immediately into perilous black icing conditions at airports such as Helsinki’s runway where de-icing is required more than usual for this time of year.
The Greek meteorological service confirmed that favourable weather circumstances in Greece have favoured the transferral from Africa to Europe, leading to increased concentrations of dust particles within its atmosphere – particularly evident across southern regions. The eastern Mediterranean country Cyprus has also been affected by such occurrences; a low-pressure system over northern Africa transported dust clouds towards it several times in mid April causing darkened skies and reduced air quality as reported by NASA on Tuesday.
As this freakish spring snowfall caused public transportation disruption, Finland’s airport operator Finavia explained that overnight freezing rain had fallen across the area necessitating more runway de-icing and aircraft wing de-icing than usual for this time of year due to adverse weather conditions causing major delays on both road and air routes within these nations.
This entry was posted by Staff Writer on April 29, 2015 at 8:43 pm, and is filed under General Science – Earth Sciences – Meteorology (Atmospheric Sciences). Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.