Huge Saharan Dust Surge Sweeps Across the Caribbean • 02/06/26

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Hi everyone, it is Danny and welcome to this update video. I trust and hope you're doing really awesome. It is Tuesday, second day of June and also the second day of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. Of course, nothing on the horizon here in the Atlantic basin to watch regarding development. But there's one thing I really want to focus on in this video, that mass of Saharin dust which is impacting the Caribbean.

[00:00:25]Now, if you have been observing or uh watching rather my previous updates, I've talked about this the fact that this week, especially today, Tuesday the 2nd, we would have quite a surge in that dust across the Caribbean. It would have been reaching areas like Jamaica for example, that has come to fruition. So, you may notice it's pretty hazy out there, especially when you look in the distance. And it's also quite hot because that all uh all that mass of dust and dry air helps to keep things a bit more stable in the atmosphere which is a factor in limited rainfall activity. So we're going to talk about that. But in some areas though in sections of the Gulf going to the vicinity of Cuba near Grand Cayman here and earlier in sections of the northern Bahamas there's been some uh shower and thunderstorm activity lingering about.

[00:01:13]As for Jamaica it's been a pretty quiet day. It's been a little windy for some of us, but it's mostly hot and dry and of course quite dusty as well. In sections of the Dominican Republic earlier, thunderstorm activity was surely kicking up. Things are on the quieter side where it's Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands towards the less rantles down to the ABC Islands as well.

[00:01:36]However, for sections of northern South America going to Central America, there is more moisture down here. There's not much in terms of that massive dust and dry air. So, there's more of an opportunity for all that shower and thunderstorm action to really be kicking up. Now, as we take a look at this graphic here, this is the Saharan air layer map. And as we see more of those vibrant shades of oranges going towards the reds, that is uh higher concentrations of that dry air. So, uh, this is really a dry air map, but a lot of that right now is being influenced by the Saharin air layer, and that comes from the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Uh there are times uh in the year especially now June going to July even into August where there are stronger winds over Africa pretty much kicking up a huge mass of dust and the trade winds carry that massive dust towards the west and that is how it reaches areas such as the Caribbean and also the Americas which is what we see happening. So it's not something out of the norm. Uh it is not something unusual. It happens on a yearly basis, but there are times in the year when there are higher concentrations of dust than others. So, right now that mass of dry air is truly uh blanketed much of the Caribbean region and because of that there's also limited rainfall because uh the drier air is more stable. But what we need especially to feel those showers and the thunderstorms is instability.

[00:03:10]For example, let's use Cuba here. We don't see much of those uh orange and red uh shadens around Cuba. Things are pretty much quiet there for now. As we go back to the satellite imagery, that's the very reason we're seeing this huge surge in shower and thunderstorm activity because there's more atmospheric instability and there's not much dry air intrusion to really prevent those showers and thunderstorms from developing.

[00:03:35]Now, going on to this graphic here, in terms of rainfall activity, that is going to be quite limited for much of the Caribbean over the next day. But in areas right now that have been experiencing quite a bit of shower and thunderstorm activity, for example, in sections of Central America going to Mexico, even in the Gulf, see this little spot here, very vibrant colors indicating uh very high rain totals, but that will be offshore. So those places will continue to get some rain over the next day. We may see some additional downpours for Cuba going to the northern uh Bahamas, sections of Florida as well.

[00:04:12]As we head towards the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, rain chances will be very low to zero. So uh don't expect to see any source of rain really if you're in this area. That chance is going to be extremely minimal, especially amid all that dry air and dust. Similar case for the Turks and Kikos going to the southern and central Bahamas. Limited rain expected for Haiti, the Dominican Republic through port uh Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles, but there may be some lingering showers at times. Rain chance will also be quite limited near to zero uh for the ABC islands down here as well. But as we head towards northern South America going to the Guyas, we are seeing a bit more color. So there will likely be uh some additional periods of heavy rain and this area is generally south of that massive dust. So not going to be much interference there for Trinidad, especially in the south. There could be some shower activity lingering.

[00:05:07]Likewise for uh Tobago. So that's what is expected in terms of rainfall over the course of the next day. Now in terms of that Saharan air layer, let's take a look at the forecast as we're going to head into tomorrow. Let's go into uh throughout the day. So, as we head into tomorrow morning, go into around the middle of the day, we still see these vibrant or these darker brown shadings and that is indicative of uh the denser dry air mass. So, we can see that it is going to be blanketing much of the Bahamas and Turks and Caos, Hispanola, Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and it will even be reaching the Yucatan Peninsula. We'll also have some lingering dry air and dust for the uh ABC Islands and for sections of the Lesser Antelles.

[00:05:57]And then eventually as we progress through uh the rest of the week going into Thursday and even towards Friday, we'll still have some dust lingering.

[00:06:05]It's not going to be in uh as dense, but there will still be some dust around.

[00:06:10]So, generally, this is going to keep things on the drier side for the Caribbean. not a whole ton of rain is uh going to be happening over the course of the next couple of days. So, the dust is going to be the main talk of the town.

[00:06:23]And with that dust, there is that heightened risk for uh breathing issues.

[00:06:28]You may have been experiencing it.

[00:06:30]Hopefully not, but uh this can definitely help to trigger allergies or uh other breathing issues. So, now is the time when you should try to stay indoors as much as possible. If you're going out though, uh though it is good to ensure that you're well hydrated and also you may have to wear a mask just to ensure that you don't uh inhale too much of that dust around, especially if you're in areas that are experiencing those higher concentrations right now.

[00:06:57]So that's what we have going on, guys.

[00:06:59]Of course, I will be keeping you posted as time progresses. So that's pretty much what I wanted to bring to your attention in this video. just highlighting that the forecast in regards to that Saharan dust is coming true and uh rainfall activity will be quite limited over the course of the next couple of days and sections of the region. So that's it for now. I hope you found this video to be informative.

[00:07:23]However, if you have any questions, you can always feel free to drop them in the comments below. I'll get to you when I can. And remember to always be otherwise.