Dubrovnik is choking today under a thick fog of orange as south winds have blown up sands from the Sahara. The historic old city is invisible from the observation points, cars and buildings have turned an orange hue and the seas are crashing against the rocks.

“I my sixty years of living in Dubrovnik I have never experienced anything like this before,” explained a local resident to The Dubrovnik Times. “Let’s just hope that it doesn’t start to rain as the whole city will be covered in sand,” he added.

Gale force southerly winds blew overnight and brought with them a thick blanket of sand. Residents woke to find their cars completely covered in yellow, sandy blotches. And during the morning the wind has picked up and made conditions even worse, residents and tourists can be seen shielding their faces and covering their mouths to avoid getting a lungful of sand.

This African sand has almost completely blotted out the sun in Dubrovnik and the while city has an eerie golden glow. Whereas Dubrovnik is recognised all over the world as a destination of mild winters and long hot summers, today Dubrovnik is in a sand storm!