If you are currently visiting the US Virgin Islands or if you’ve been checking out one of St. John’s many webcams, you may have noticed a pretty thick haze in the skies over the past several days. It’s not actually haze in the skies, but rather dust, dust that is traveling into the region from the Sahara Desert in Africa. It happens every year, and it’s been extremely thick recently.
Each year, typically during spring and summer months, dust and sand from the Sahara Desert float up from Africa and travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean via the trade winds. When the dust arrives in the territory, our typically bright blue skies are replaced by a grey haze. Visibility is reduced, and our air quality becomes poor. The dust can last for a day, a few days, or even a week in some cases.
You can see in the top image how the dust affects our skies. Those pictures were taken from the same spot at The Windmill Bar. The left was taken a few months ago on a regularly clear day, and the second was taken last week during a dusty period.
You can actually track the Saharan Dust on radar just like you can track any weather system. I like to use myfoxhurricane.com to track it. Here is the image I pulled up this morning that shows the current cloud of dust affecting the region.
The Saharan dust can cause people to have a runny nose and dry throat. You may be sneezing more and have itchy eyes. It can also affect people who have asthma. So if you are here now and you are sniffling and sneezing, it’s likely that the dust is getting to you.
Want to see what’s currently happening around St. John? Check out nearly two dozen webcams located around the island at www.explorestj.com/webcams.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.