This is sand from the Sahara colouring the skies over the northern Adriatic in hues of milky yellow. 

More specifically, the skies over the Kvarner Gulf just off the coast from Rijeka, Croatia’s main port, the island of Cres to the left and the Istrian peninsula to the right.

A blast of warm air, blown north by southwesterly air currents over the Mediterranean on Friday, brought with it desert sand that covered nearly all of Italy, southeast France, Corsica, Sardinia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina and Serbia.

It’s a natural phenomenon that has increased in frequency in recent years, fueled by climate disruption: rising temperatures and droughts dry out the soil, making it easier for winds to lift the sand.

Impacts, primarily on southern Europe, vary and are considerable.

The most serious is the degraded air quality that particularly impacts people with asthma or heart conditions. There is also faster snow melt in the winter months when the dark sand settles on snow, absorbing more sunlight to accelerate melting.

Then there are the eerie skies, turned milky yellow, orange or red, that drop muddy residue on cars and buildings, like these parked this morning in Nice. There were long lines at a nearby car wash earlier this evening.

Photos from 28 and 30 August, 2026.