A huge sandstorm hailing from the Sahara has engulfed the Canary Islands, blocking the sun and rendering the skies an ominous orange colour. Terrified tourists in popular holiday destinations like Fuerteventura and Lanzarote described the scene as "apocalyptic”, as the extreme weather phenomenon was even visible from space by NASA satellites.
The weather cataclysm sparked unexpected flight diversions, as Spain’s airport operator AENA suspended all flights in and out of Gran Canaria and all flights leaving Tenerife on Saturday evening, 22 February, due to lack of visibility.
Amidst the turmoil, airlines were urging passengers to check on their flight's status prior to making their way to the airport.
A warning was issued by Spain’s national weather agency AEMET amid forecasts showing gusts of up to 120km/h, with conditions expected to "get worse" overnight, as more dust is carried across from the African continent.
Gusts of winds could be "hurricane-strength" on the summits of Gran Canaria and La Palma, said the weather alert. Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are likely to be the worst hit, forecasters said.
Sandstorms of this nature are happen fairly frequently in the area.
Known as a Calima, the sandstorm phenomenon occurs when gale force winds and rising air carry Saharan dust across the Atlantic. Such sand clouds have been known on occasion to reach as far as the Caribbean.
Weather experts claim this was the "worst Calima that the Canary Islands has seen for many years".
The ferocious weather phenomenon was widely featured on social media, with twitter users posting photos and videos of the sandstorm.