A dense Saharan dust plume that blanketed Greece for days, triggering health warnings and coating cars and surfaces in orange-tinged grime, is finally clearing, with significantly improved air quality expected from Saturday, meteorologists said.
Thodoris Kolydas, former director of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, said conditions will improve steadily through the weekend as the dust mass drifts eastward.
Mr. Kolydas forecast light morning showers over the islands Saturday and isolated thunderstorms on the mainland, with northerly winds reaching force seven on the Beaufort scale in the Aegean and a slight drop in temperatures offering relief after days of unseasonably warm and hazy conditions.
Sunday is expected to bring generally clear skies nationwide, with only brief afternoon showers over mountainous areas.
Temperatures are forecast to begin rising again from Monday.
The improvement may be short-lived.
Forecast models indicate a new weather system approaching from the north by Tuesday, with widespread rain expected across northern Greece and spreading to other regions through Wednesday and Thursday.
The Saharan dust episode was among the more intense to hit Greece this spring, with visibility reduced in several cities and health authorities advising vulnerable groups — including people with respiratory conditions and the elderly — to limit outdoor exposure during peak concentration periods.
Saharan dust intrusions are a recurring seasonal phenomenon across the Mediterranean, but their frequency and intensity have increased in recent years, a trend researchers link to shifting atmospheric circulation patterns over North Africa.