May 8, 2008 — Officials from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources said late Thursday afternoon they expected the Sahara dust causing hazy skies over the Virgin Islands to continue to affect the area for "another few days."
Dust is kicked up by storms in the desert and rises in the warm air, then travels thousands of miles across the Atlantic basin to the Lesser Antilles, reducing visibility and adversely affecting air quality, according to a statement from DPNR.
The dust can aggravate emphysema, asthma and other lung disorders.
DPNR said although there is no need to boil cistern water at this point, residents should block downspouts to avoid the dust particles and potential contaminants from washing into cisterns. Officials recommended drinking bottled water until they were sure the dust carried no serious impurities.
Brian Seeley, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said the dust is mainly present in the eastern Caribbean.
Sahara dust storms pass through the region several times a year, but mainly in the spring and summer months. On a more positive note, some meteorologists claim that the airborne particulates inhibit thunderstorm and thus tropical storm development during hurricane season, the statement said.
The current wind direction is from the southeast at 15 to 20 miles per hour.
For more information contact the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082 or 774-3320 or go to www.nasa.gov or/weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/TIST.html.
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