According to SRF Meteo, the weather service of the national broadcaster, the particles originated in regions of northwest Africa, including Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria.
Weather and wind conditions in those countries forced the sand two to five kilometres up into the sky before it was blown towards Europe via southerly winds, the weather service said.
The result in various parts of Switzerland on Saturday were misty yellow-orange skies, also seen across much of southern and eastern France.
Levels of fine particles in the air also increased due to the sand, especially in the mountains. At the Jungfraujoch (3,463 metres), a value of 744 micrograms per cubic metre was recorded; this compares to the national average throughout the year of 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
The sand and orange skies are set to disappear on Sunday as a cold front arrives to force down temperatures that in some parts of the country on Saturday rose to 15 or 16 degrees Celsius.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
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The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
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Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
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With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
Swiss foreign minister backs Berset at Council of Europe
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Cassis described Berset as the "ideal candidate" to help the Council realise its aim of ensuring security and peace in Europe.
Gay conversion therapy banned in Swiss canton of Valais
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On Thursday, the canton approved a new Health Act which includes a ban on therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Some aspects of pro-Palestine sit-ins have gone too far, but the right to protest and debate must be upheld, the student association has said.
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The art of weather forecasting – from high tech to ants
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Where once people relied on local folklore and observation, now satellites and supercomputers are used to analyse and predict the weather.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.