More Saharan dust haze is expected across Barbados and the wider Caribbean in the coming weeks, with meteorologists warning that significant dust episodes are arriving earlier in the year and monitoring showing sustained high levels of dust transport across the Atlantic.

Many Barbadians endured a disruptive dust haze last week, particularly those living with respiratory illnesses.

Dust haze is a meteorological phenomenon in which dry dust or sand particles – largely originating in the Saharan Desert – are suspended in the air as they travel across the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas. Visibility is significantly reduced, typically to less than 10 kilometres, resulting in a milky, opaque, or slightly coloured sky.