The Cayman Islands National Weather Service released a statement this morning warning that Cayman will experience a “surge” of Sahara dust moving across the island today, according to tracking by the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology.
The service clarifies that the image above, showing where the dust will be at its most concentrated, does not show how high in the atmosphere the dust particles are concentrated.
“[G]enerally the Cayman Islands from time to time will be impacted by Sahara dust but for the most part the dust particles [are] usually suspended high in the atmosphere and not at the surface where it might produce breathing issues,” the NWS said in the statement.
However, people with respiratory issues are advised to “exercise caution”.
The statement, from NWS Director General John Tibbetts, also clarifies that they are not currently tracking any volcanic ash clouds approaching Cayman.
The National Weather Service say they have been monitoring the situation and the latest update is that ash clouds are present in the far eastern Caribbean.
“To date on this matter the furthest west any ash cloud has moved is to Curacao in the south-central Caribbean,” the statement said.
The NWS will continue to monitor and provide updates on both volcanic ash and Sahara dust, according to the statement.
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