Eerie Skies in Iquique

photo credit: La Estrella de Iquique

The skies changed as I was reading quietly in our living room. Minutes earlier I had been able to see by the pale winter light coming in the window, but suddenly I found visibility lessened as an eerie orange glow permeated the room. I stepped outside and to my surprise observed a sky quickly darkening into the colors of the picture above.

By the time I arrived at the girls' school for pick up an hour later, sand was gently raining on the city streets. Soon it resembled the first layer of wintry snow. Worry creased the brow of many parents, while children gleefully squealed that the world was coming to an end.

It certainly was a startling sight. This video by one YouTube poster captures it quite well:

To top off an already strange day, rain began to fall in the darkness of evening. Not just a barely perceptible sprinkle as on previous rare occasions, but actual dripping, falling rain that turned sand into mud and even inspired a few folks to videotape the occasion:

All in all, it was a day to remember in Iquique. We may not have had 4th of July fireworks, but we had excitement all the same. Maybe not the kind we want to repeat every year, though! :)