Saharan Dust chokes Caribbean in largest Event of the Year

A massive cloud of the Saharan Dust has swept several Caribbean Islands as of Monday. Experts have referred to it as the largest event of its kind recorded for this year and hence has urged a warning to the locals to stay cautious and updated.  

As per the information shared by the US National Weather Service Department, the Saharan Dust has reached a concentration of 0.55 aerosol optical depth. This has widely covered the Caribbean stretching around 3200 km from Jamaica to Barbados, and Turks and Caicos to Trinidad and Tobago.  

This has also raised several concerns for the residents in the region as it has significantly blocked the level of sunlight reaching the surface and has also been causing several difficulties for residents in breathing causing respiratory irritation.  

Meteorologists have also advised people with respiratory disorders including asthma, allergies, or others should carry out special precautions and should stay indoors and wear a mask whenever going outside.  

The rise in Saharan Dust arriving in the Caribbean combined with the intensity of the hurricane season this year has raised serious concerns of the rise in natural calamities and climatic impact across the island.  

As per the reports shared by the met department, this year the hurricane season is also expected to be above average, and several Caribbean islands have already faced the wrath of nature through early storms and heavy rainfall. Recently, an intense storm struck Guyana which led to widespread damage across the country by damaging infrastructure and leading to a temporary shutdown of key facilities and power cuts.  

Similar occurrences also took place in Trinidad and Tobago just before the start of the hurricane season. Last week the island faced intense rainfall which caused heavy flooding in several parts of the country. 

Islands including Antigua and Barbuda also faced intense weather conditions with heavy flooding. Several renowned hotels and resorts including Sandals, Royalton, Hodges Bay and others were flooded with the intense rainfall causing difficulties to the guests.