Saturday 27 March 2010

Another Harmattan

The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African Trade Wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March. On its passage over the desert it picks up fine dust particles, and in some countries in West Africa, the heavy amount of dust in the air can severely limit visibility and block the sun for several days, comparable to a heavy fog. For a whole of this week the sky has been cloudy and visibility has been limited, and everything is covered in a thin layer of fine dust. But even worst: the air has been absolutely still, with no pleasant winds to keep us cool. We desperately need some rain to clear the air and wash down the decks, and we want the wind back! Olly

1 comment:

Ken and Caroline said...

Can totally sympathise with you folks - we had it last weekend. Breathed sand for three days - even the birds were quiet for a while! Saw a man in Los Cristianos with a plastic mask over his mouth and nose - seemed quite a good idea!