A Scots couple who fled Storm Dennis for sunny climes were among thousands of holiday makers trapped in the middle of a Sahara sandstorm yesterday. Norma and John Wiggins, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, escaped howling wind and rain in Scotland last week to head for some winter warmth in Tenerife. But within days of arriving, the pair found themselves engulfed in a ferocious dust cloud - known as Calima - which left up to 14,000 Brits stranded at airports across Spain’s Canary Islands and saw Norma and John confined to their Playas de las Americas hotel. The couple took this picture from their balcony as red sand from the Sahara desert moved in on Sunday afternoon, leaving visibility so poor holidaymakers couldn’t venture outside. Norma said: “We boarded the aircraft in Edinburgh last week whilst sheltering under stairs because we would have been absolutely blown away and soaking. “Once we were on board we said ‘at least we’re heading to the sun,’ then we got this. We left one storm to come to another. “It’s pretty nasty. It’s hard to breathe and people are going around with face masks. “On Sunday it was so bad we had to go back to the apartment and sit and wait it out. It was impossible to go out and went on all through the night. “The wind was unbelievable. We had furniture on the terrace six floors up and it got blown right over. “There’s been trees, signs and even walls blown down. Police were trying to keep people away from certain areas for their safety. It’s been really quite destructive.” Between 12,000 and 14,000 Britons are understood to have been stranded since Sunday as strong winds carried the sand towards popular tourist destinations. Spain’s airport operator Aena cancelled, suspended or diverted all flights to and from the islands on Sunday due to low visibility. Flights from Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma and North Tenerife were beginning to resume yesterday but those departing South Tenerife saw further cancellations as Spain’s national weather service forecast winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) in the Canaries throughout the day. People are being warned to stay indoors with their windows closed to avoid the Calima - which stems from a hot and dry layer of the atmosphere above the North African desert that overlies the cooler air of the Atlantic. It’s capable of lifting dust thousands of metres above the Atlantic Ocean before blanketing the region and forms a thick fog when passing over the Canaries. The regional government has declared a state of alert with authorities in Lanzarote’s capital Arrecife cancelling all outdoor activities including some carnival celebrations. The sandstorm was even visible from space, with satellite images showing it engulfing the islands, off the coast of north-west Africa. Norma, who is planning to stay in Tenerife for five weeks, said: “I think it’s supposed to be here for at least another day. We came out today but you can feel it in the air. “By this afternoon we will
Scots holidaymakers escape Storm Dennis only to be engulfed by Sahara sandstorm
A Scots couple who fled Storm Dennis for sunny climes were among thousands of holiday makers trapped in the middle of a Sahara sandstorm yesterday. Norma and John Wiggins, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, escaped howling wind and rain in Scotland last week to head for some winter warmth in Tenerife. But within days of arriving, the pair found themselves engulfed in a ferocious dust cloud - known as Calima - which left up to 14,000 Brits stranded at airports across Spain’s Canary Islands and saw Norma and John confined to their Playas de las Americas hotel. The couple took this picture from their balcony as red sand from the Sahara desert moved in on Sunday afternoon, leaving visibility so poor holidaymakers couldn’t venture outside. Norma said: “We boarded the aircraft in Edinburgh last week whilst sheltering under stairs because we would have been absolutely blown away and soaking. “Once we were on board we said ‘at least we’re heading to the sun,’ then we got this. We left one storm to come to another. “It’s pretty nasty. It’s hard to breathe and people are going around with face masks. “On Sunday it was so bad we had to go back to the apartment and sit and wait it out. It was impossible to go out and went on all through the night. “The wind was unbelievable. We had furniture on the terrace six floors up and it got blown right over. “There’s been trees, signs and even walls blown down. Police were trying to keep people away from certain areas for their safety. It’s been really quite destructive.” Between 12,000 and 14,000 Britons are understood to have been stranded since Sunday as strong winds carried the sand towards popular tourist destinations. Spain’s airport operator Aena cancelled, suspended or diverted all flights to and from the islands on Sunday due to low visibility. Flights from Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma and North Tenerife were beginning to resume yesterday but those departing South Tenerife saw further cancellations as Spain’s national weather service forecast winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) in the Canaries throughout the day. People are being warned to stay indoors with their windows closed to avoid the Calima - which stems from a hot and dry layer of the atmosphere above the North African desert that overlies the cooler air of the Atlantic. It’s capable of lifting dust thousands of metres above the Atlantic Ocean before blanketing the region and forms a thick fog when passing over the Canaries. The regional government has declared a state of alert with authorities in Lanzarote’s capital Arrecife cancelling all outdoor activities including some carnival celebrations. The sandstorm was even visible from space, with satellite images showing it engulfing the islands, off the coast of north-west Africa. Norma, who is planning to stay in Tenerife for five weeks, said: “I think it’s supposed to be here for at least another day. We came out today but you can feel it in the air. “By this afternoon we will
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