File photo of the Saharan dust plume, seen by the NOAA-20 satellite on June 17, 2020.
June 26, 2024
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A wave of the Saharan Dust layer currently across the central Caribbean is expected to impact Jamaica starting Wednesday morning.
According to the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service), satellite images on Tuesday showed that a very thin layer of dust had drifted from the eastern Caribbean into the central Caribbean and is now moving into the western Caribbean.
The dust mass, which is not as thick as previous ones, is expected to begin moving across the island Wednesday morning and will remain across the island until about Thursday midday, as a tropical wave is expected to move into the vicinity of the island, the Met Service said.
Noting concerns circulating on social media regarding how this event compares to that of June 2020, when a layer of Saharan Dust moved across the Caribbean, the Met service said this is not of a similar magnitude. It added that the hazy conditions will be short-lived with the greatest concentrations just south of the island.
The arrival of the Saharan dust layer is not unusual across the Caribbean because this weather phenomenon happens every year between May and October. The plumes are usually short-lived, lasting no more than a week.
In fact, the Met Service said a plume moved across the island late last week and into Monday.
The Met Service, however, cautioned that with the presence of suspended Saharan Dust particles in the forecast, people who have asthma, allergies, or other respiratory illnesses should take the necessary precautionary measures.
The Met Service says it will continue to monitor the situation.