disaster
1,300 km Saharan dust wall moves at 80 km/h over Canary Islands
A vast Saharan dust plume about 1,300 km wide is sweeping over the Canary Islands at near 80 km/h, prompting AEMET yellow alerts for all islands and health warnings for vulnerable people until the plume weakens by Wednesday night.
Mar 31st 2026 · Spain
Insights
- The dust mass spans about 1,300 kilometers and is travelling at roughly 80 km/h.
- A subtropical ridge combined with a cut-off low over Algeria has strengthened eastward winds that transported the dust to the archipelago.
- AEMET has issued yellow alerts for suspended dust across all Canary Islands until about 20:00 on Wednesday.
- Calima reduces visibility, soils surfaces and worsens air quality, so children, older people and those with respiratory conditions should avoid prolonged outdoor exposure.
- Forecasts and satellite data show the plume will weaken and be pushed southwest by trade winds, clearing skies by early Thursday.
Sources
- La Aemet alerta de la calima en Gran Canaria: se espera presencia de polvo y poca visibilidad www.elconfidencial.com
- Canarias, sepultada por una densa calima que deja ya las primeras incidencias www.eldiario.es
- Un muro de polvo sahariano de 1.300 km de ancho a 80 km/h: la gran calima que se cierne sobre Canarias www.elespanol.com
- Alerta en Canarias por la calima: el polvo sahariano provoca incidencias en la isla mientras Sanidad avisa a la población www.elmundo.es