Meteorologist says giant Saharan dust cloud will bypass Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- A massive cloud of Saharan dust—estimated to be about 31 times the size of the Dominican Republic—is currently moving across the Atlantic Ocean, but poses no direct threat to the country, according to meteorological analyst Jean Suriel.

Suriel explained that most of the dust mass will remain over the ocean, while another portion is expected to drift toward the Amazon region, effectively ruling out its arrival in the Dominican Republic. The event is occurring ahead of the official Saharan dust season in the Caribbean, which typically runs from early May through September, with peak activity between June and August.

Meteorological reports indicate that recent storms in Europe have disrupted wind patterns originating in the Indian Ocean, triggering intense sandstorms in North Africa and enabling the formation and movement of this unusually large dust cloud.

Meanwhile, local weather conditions in the Dominican Republic are expected to be affected by a thermal anomaly over the next eight days. Forecasts point to a noticeable rise in temperatures and heat index levels, particularly between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. This warming trend is linked to the retreat of a polar air mass and the arrival of easterly and east-southeasterly winds carrying warm air from the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.