Saharan dust and Storm Fohn over Central Europe

According to the Geosphere Austria website, the prevailing southern crater once again brought a large cloud from the African continent to Central Europe. “The peak was reached on Saturday,” an expert from Geosphere told APA. There was up to 1,200 milligrams of desert dust per square meter in the air.

There was a storm warning in place in parts of Austria throughout the entire Easter weekend. Vorarlberg, Tyrol and parts of Salzburg were particularly affected, but strong winds were also expected eastwards, in Pongau, Lungau and Upper Styria.

Switzerland and Germany also felt the desert dust. A violent storm, Foyne, swept through the Alps. A maximum gust of 190 kilometers per hour was measured over Andermatt in Switzerland late Friday evening, weather service SRF Meteo reported on Saturday. Added to this was the reddish-yellow desert dust on Saturday, which obscured visibility in large parts of Switzerland. According to one meteorologist, model calculations showed that 180,000 tons of desert dust were suspended in the air over Switzerland on Saturday. This is an extraordinary amount. Winds usually bring half the amount to Switzerland.

Due to strong winds, lifts in some Swiss ski areas were temporarily closed on Friday. On Thursday, the ski lifts at the Italian ski resort of Bruel Cervinia, opposite Zermatt, began to sway dangerously, as a video from the private Italian weather service Il Meteo showed.

“Saharan dust has already arrived (in Germany), and you can see it in the yellow clouds in the air,” Christian Herold, a meteorologist at the German Weather Service (DWD), said on Holy Saturday. This phenomenon can be observed in many parts of Germany, but it is more concentrated in the west of the country. Desert dust can make the sun's rays appear milky and cloudy. Dust should still be visible on Easter. A cold front is expected to move it away on Monday, Herold said.