Saharan dust drifting into Cayman area

| 20/05/2022 | 11 Comments
Cayman News Service
Haze over the Cayman Islands on 20 May 2022 (graphic courtesy of CINWS)

(CNS): The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) has said the hazy conditions on Friday were caused by “an intrusion of Saharan Dust in the Caribbean”, which is moving into our area and expected to linger for the next few days. The poor visibility on Friday from the arrival of the very dusty dry air was compounded by salt spray in the atmosphere due to strong southeasterly winds, the weather experts told CNS.

These conditions are expected to get worse until early next week when rain showers will help remove some of the dust in the atmosphere around Cayman. Those with allergies or respiratory illnesses are being warned to take additional precautions throughout the weekend before the rain will hopefully alleviate their conditions.

The Saharan Dust, which originates in northern Africa, is not an unusual phenomenon and can impact weather conditions around the world. This plume, the first trans-Atlantic Saharan dust cloud of 2022, currently extends from the tropical Atlantic into the Caribbean, where it has also been driving up temperatures.

The good news is that the dust cloud appears to be one of the reasons why a tropical wave that was being tracked by hurricane forecasters in our area is no longer expected to stir up any stormy weather next week.


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Category: Science & Nature, Weather

Comments (11)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    To bad it only dumps dust and not sand.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    According to Cayman Compass we have been ‘Engluffed’

  3. Anonymous says:

    Does it have permission from Travel Cayman?

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  4. Anonymous says:

    The bad news being it seems to trap in the humidity and mosquito population. Anyone out running over the weekend just gone will know what I’m talking about – brutal.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Dust us with gold please.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Maybe it’s here to collect omicron.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Can the radar pick it up?
    Oh never mind.

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    • Off the radar says:

      I wonder if they covered the radar installation to keep the dust out, otherwise a few more parts will be needed and the islands will be underwater before it’s fixed.

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      • Anonymous says:

        It’s already been over a year,for maintenance? Or waiting for parts? Do we live on the moon for parts to take that long to reach us. Still waiting for a reasonable answer or explanation! If maintenance was done on a regular basis we would not be in this mess.

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