SAHARA DUST BRINGS HAZY DAYS WITH HEALTH RISKS

The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) lifted its Dust Alert as conditions improved across the islands.

Following comprehensive testing, the Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability, the Public Health Department, and the Department of Environmental Health confirmed that air quality remains safely within the Good to Moderate range. However, while conditions continue to clear, health officials advise proceeding cautiously and have issued guidance for the public to follow.

For the general public, normal activities resumed, but persons should move indoors and seek medical attention if they experience persistent coughing or wheezing. For vulnerable groups - meaning individuals with asthma or respiratory conditions - they should minimize prolonged outdoor exertion and keep prescribed medications handy. Otherwise, for indoor settings, the public is advised to keep windows and doors closed where feasible and set air conditioning systems to recirculate indoor air.

The Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability (MHES), Public Health Department (PHD), and the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) reported that air quality readings across Grand Cayman during the current Saharan dust event (during the reporting period) remained within the Good to Moderate range of the United States Air Quality Index (US AQI).

They also confirmed that there have been no locations recording readings in the ‘unhealthy’ or higher categories.

REGIONAL IMPACT

According to the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), significant amounts of dust travel across the northern tropical Atlantic to the Caribbean from the Sahara region. The agency explains that these dust concentrations in the Caribbean often exceed United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for particulate matter, which could have serious implications for human health in the region. It also notes that air pollution has become a major issue in the Caribbean because of urban development, increased vehicle emissions, and growing industrialisation. However, the (CIMH) says that many countries in the Caribbean do not have routine air quality monitoring programmes, and several do not have or enforce air quality standards.

Regarding the most recent Sahara dust plume in the area, the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service reported that at the end of May 2026, a large Saharan dust plume stretched from the west coast of Africa towards the Americas. Countries such as Cabo Verde saw declining air quality as the dust plume passed over the region.

It said there was a large dust plume stretching across the North Atlantic and reaching the Caribbean Sea, impacting the Eastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands.