The coronavirus wasn’t the only natural phenomenon to visit Lanzarote in recent weeks. In late February the island also suffered its worst calima for years.
A calima is a sandstorm hailing from the Sahara desert, just over 100 miles to the east, which brings oppressive heat and a coating of fine red dust to the whole island. This year’s was one of the heaviest in living memory, leaving an estimated 21,000 tonnes of dust on Lanzarote.
Lanzarote’s usual technicolour landscapes took on a sepia tint for a few days, and cleaners were left with an unenviable task once the storm had lifted.
