Airports in the Canary Islands have

officially resumed operations on Monday (Feb. 24) as local authorities felt

comfortable that windy conditions and a thick sandstorm have lifted, improving

visibility.

Affected by air thickened with sand and

dust from the Sahara Desert, the weekend sandstorm was accompanied by wind

gusts up to 120 kph (around 75 mph).

The strong winds also fanned at least three

wildfires on different islands of the Spanish archipelago some 100 kilometers

(62 miles) west of the African coast.

Primary schools, however, remain closed on

all eight islands until further notice.

Ãngel Víctor Torres, head of the regional

government, called the sandstorm the worst in four decades—joining authorities

as the islands hope the situation continues to settle.

“It’s been a nightmare of a weekend,â€

Torres told Spain’s public broadcaster TVE. “We haven’t seen an episode like

this in 40 years.â€

AENA, the Spanish airports’ operator, said in a tweet that flights had resumed from all eight airports of the archipelago.

Ÿ“¢ Actualización — Aena (@aena)

Ÿ“¢ Actualización — Aena (@aena) #Canarias #Calima #Viento A esta hora, todos los aeropuertos están en condiciones de operar con capacidad reducida.âš ï¸ Consulte con la aerolínea el estado de su vuelo, porque todavía puede ser afectado. https://t.co/MgdCHy1dNlFebruary 24, 2020

“At this time, all airports are able to

operate with reduced capacity,†AENA tweeted.

Incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled

due to the wind gusts and thick yellow haze that enveloped the islands.

The phenomenon is known locally as “la calimaâ€, referring to the seasonal winds that scoop up to clouds of sand and dust from the Sahara.