After lingering over Barbados for several days, the dense blanket of Saharan dust that shrouded the Caribbean island is finally starting to disperse, allowing local weather officials to end their official dust haze advisory. However, strong gusty winds will continue to create hazardous conditions for maritime activity in surrounding waters, meteorologists confirmed.
In an official update published Monday, Barbados Meteorological Services meteorologist David Harding reported that airborne dust concentrations across both the island and its adjacent territorial waters have dropped to levels that have significantly improved visibility across the region. With concentrations no longer meeting the threshold required to maintain a public dust advisory, the agency has moved to end the alert effective immediately.
“Dust levels across Barbados and its marine areas have declined today, which has directly led to better visibility across the region,” Harding explained in the statement. “Since conditions no longer fit the criteria for an active advisory, we have discontinued the dust haze warning effective right away.”
Even as air quality and visibility improve, Harding stressed that unusually brisk wind conditions will persist across the island and the surrounding Atlantic waters, meaning marine operators and recreational seafarers still need to exercise extra caution. “Fresh, strong breezes are still impacting the island and surrounding waters,” he said. “As a result, a small craft advisory remains in place for all of Barbados’ marine areas due to sustained high winds.”
According to projections from the meteorological office, a thin to moderate layer of residual dust haze will likely hang over the island for the next 24 to 48 hours, but additional gradual clearing is forecast after that period. Low, non-hazardous levels of fine dust particles are expected to remain in the atmosphere through the end of the week.
Harding detailed that the ongoing high wind conditions are being driven by a persistent Atlantic high-pressure system, which is generating sustained winds of 15 to 23 knots (approximately 28 to 43 kilometers per hour) across the tropical Atlantic basin. Wind speeds have shifted noticeably over the past day, but forecasters project that conditions will become calmer starting Tuesday, as a mid-level atmospheric trough moves into the region.
For operators of small fishing vessels, recreational boats and other small watercraft, Harding reiterated that choppy sea conditions driven by elevated winds will continue to make navigation tricky in the coming days. “Operating smaller vessels can be challenging at times under these high wind conditions, so mariners should remain alert,” he added.