Athenians choking for days in clouds of thick dust blown in from the Sahara are set for some respite beginning Wednesday.
National weather forecasts promise clearer skies and improved air quality across the Greek capital as winds begin shifting to the north, helping disperse lingering dust particles.
As the haze lifts, experts say, visibility will also improve, easing health warnings sounded by doctors last week as a massive dust storm originated from North Africa cloaked much of the eastern Mediterranean, covering, also, the Greek capital amid unseasonably warm weather that negatively impacted the air quality, heightened a choking effect.
The dust cloud stretched for more than 1,200, reaching even the UK and Scandinavia.
Greece’s Union of Pulmonologists advised asthma sufferers and other vulnerable people to avoid "unnecessary movements and outdoor sports during the times of highest dust concentration".
They warned that the dust mixed with pollen, bacteria, and fungi, created a "a highly toxic mixture that is dangerous for the human body, particularly the respiratory system.”