MADRID (AP) — Spain issued warnings on Tuesday about low air quality in the capital, Madrid, and in much of the country after a mass of hot air from the Sahara left suspended dust and dyed the skies orange tones.
The National Air Quality Index rated air quality in the capital and large parts of the southeastern coast as “extremely unfavorable”, its worst degree.
Many Spaniards found themselves with a layer of red dust covering the terraces, streets and cars in the morning. The sky of the capital and other cities dawned orange.
Authorities have recommended wearing a mask if you go outside and avoid physical exercise outdoors.
The African heat wave has also affected air quality in areas from northern Madrid to the Canary Islands — west of the peninsula — and the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea.