The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi NPP satellite captured this true-color image of the dust cloud entering Spain and Portugal on Feb. 21 and 22, 2017.

(NASA/NOAA/DoD Suomi NPP/VIIRS)

At a Glance

Dust from the Sahara Desert was swept up into a low-pressure system over north Africa on Monday before making its way toward Europe.In Spain's Sierra Nevada, snow falling on ski slopes had a brownish color.

Two weeks ago, alarge amount of Saharan dust swept into a low-pressure system over north Africa on Monday and made its way into the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain, turning snowa dirty shade of white.

Now, show the dramatic impact of the dust on the white snow.

Acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel 2-A satellite and NASA's Landsat 8, a pair of images captured before the dust arrived showed a pristine, white layer of snow on the mountains Feb. 18. A second pair of satellite images, captured nine days later, show the snow after it mixed with the dust, and lining up the two pairs of photos helps to show just how much dust blew into the mountain range.

(MORE:)

This before-and-after animated image shows the impact of Saharan dust on the snowy peaks of Spain's Sierra Nevadas. The first image, which shows white snow, was captured on Feb. 18, while the second image was taken on Feb. 27, after the dust affected the snowpack.

(NASA)

This before-and-after animated image shows the impact of Saharan dust on the snowy peaks of Spain's Sierra Nevadas. The first image, which shows white snow, was captured on Feb. 18, while the second image was taken on Feb. 27, after the dust affected the snowpack.

(NASA)

According to NOAA, , which has an impact on the Earth’s climate.

"Dust may also affect hurricanes, as recent research based on data sets dating back to the 1950s suggests an inverse relationship between dust in the tropical North Atlantic and the number of Atlantic hurricanes during the past several decades," notes the agency on its website.

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An Israeli man and his dog bath in the Mediterranean Sea along the beach front during a sandstorm in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)