Updated March 26, 2018 15:23:20

Parts of eastern Europe were blanketed with orange-tinted snow over the weekend.

The phenomenon has been seen across Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova.

Meteorologists said sand from Sahara desert storms mixing with snow and rain caused the orange snow.

It occurs roughly once every five years.

This sandstorm made its way from Greece to Russia, and could be seen via NASA satellite imagery.

Skiers and snowboarders near Sochi, Russia posted photos of the unusual sight.

"We're skiing on Mars today," one user posted on Instagram.

Photo: The sandstorm was so big it could be seen via NASA satellite imagery. (Instagram: amj747)

Photo: The red dust caused limited visibility for people as they made their way down the slopes. (Instagram: katrin.jd)

Photo: Concentrations of sand were higher than usual, and people complained of sand in their mouths. (Instagram: tes_78)

Photo: The phenomenon was seen across several countries in eastern Europe. (Instagram: carmenavramjournalist)

Topics: weather, snowfall, human-interest, russian-federation, bulgaria, ukraine, romania, moldova-republic-of

First posted March 26, 2018 10:41:53