An enormous dust cloud from Sahara has enveloped much of Cuba on Wednesday and is closing in on the eastern United States in a once in 50-year weather phenomenon. The dust cloud is beginning to affect air quality in Florida, which sparks warnings to people with respiratory illness to stay home.
The plume of Sahara Desert dust swept across Atlantic from Africa over the past week darkening the skies of Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico since Sunday and Florida on Wednesday. The dust cloud is so vast that NASA astronauts from space were able to capture it.
We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic. Amazing how large an area it covers! pic.twitter.com/JVGyo8LAXI — Col. Doug Hurley (@Astro_Doug) June 21, 2020
The phenomenon has caused unusual weather events such as the spectacular sunsets off Florida's coast as it tracks closer to the shore. But experts expect that conditions in Havana, the capital of Cuba, will worsen on Thursday.
According to Francisco Duran, head of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, the cloud is likely to cause many respiratory and allergic reactions.
CBS reports the Saharan dust cloud is one of the most extreme recorded in history, and it is only hours away before it reaches the eastern states of the US. Forecasters predict that it stays south of Florida, over Cuba before it spreads to Southeast.
Saharan Dust Cloud Affects Air Quality
The city health department of Miami said that the air quality in the city is currently "moderate," and asked people with respiratory problems to stay home.
Science Alert reports that during the boreal spring, the dust from Sahara travels across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa, powered by strong winds. But the density of the current dust cloud over Cuba is "well above normal levels," according to Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera.
He warns that the highest concentration over the capital will occur tomorrow. Additionally, Havana scientist Eugenio Mojen said that the dust cloud would "cause an appreciable deterioration in air quality" as the dust clouds are loaded with substances that are incredibly harmful to human health.
These harmful substances include minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, silicon, and mercury. Moreover, Mojena said that these clouds also carried "viruses, bacteria, fungi, pathogenic mites, staphylococci, and organic pollutants."
The Mirror reports that experts have nicknamed the dust cloud as the "Godzilla dust cloud." But this awe-inspiring weather event is known as the Saharan Air Layer. It is an extremely hot and dry dust-laden layer of the atmosphere that stretches kilometers high and lies typically on top of the cooler surface air of the Atlantic Ocean.
An updated (Monday June 22nd) computer model forecast of atmospheric dust for the next 10 days. pic.twitter.com/1nTg8vd9M7 — NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) June 22, 2020
Dust Cloud in the Pandemic Crisis
On Wednesday, the Institute of Meteorology said that the temperature in Cuba's eastern province of Guantanamo reached a record for 37.4 degrees Celsius's time. But authorities ruled out any link with the pandemic.
They said that the country's epidemic is under control, and they have already relaxed quarantine measures starting last week, except for Havana, which continues to register new cases.
Cuba has reported a new case on Wednesday, which makes the total number of infections 2,318 and 85 deaths from COVID-19.
Authorities have warned people with breathing difficulties, especially those battling with the virus, to take extra precautions as the dust could exacerbate their breathing issues.
