Ukrainians are warned about a powerful cloud of dust that pushes into the Ukraine from the Sahara.
According to weather forecasters, on March 30-31, very warm air of African origin spread to the territory of Ukraine from the southwest, the average daily temperature exceeded the norm by 5-12 degrees.
At the same time, dust is also transferred from the northern part of Africa along with this heat, as evidenced by satellite images. In particular, this dust creates the effect of a foggy sky, haze can be observed in the surface layer. Dust concentrations do not exceed the maximum permissible norms.
It became known that the dust from the Sahara will soon recede along with the rains and the air over Ukraine will become safer. Precipitation should be expected in the coming days, namely on April 3-4. This was reported by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center on Facebook.
It should be noted that dust from the Sahara could be observed in previous years by residents of Transcarpathia. In neighboring Slovakia, as it turns out, this phenomenon is extremely common and occurs almost annually, as they say. But a rather powerful cloud of dust, which was brought from the territory of the neighboring country to Transcarpathia, could be observed in 2013. As it became known at the time, Saharan dust and sand fell into the clouds, which, thanks to the southern stream, brought overnight precipitation over eastern Slovakia, leaving traces of dust. This is why many motorists in eastern Slovakia have found fine sand and dust on their cars after an overnight rain. Strong winds in the region of Libya and western Egypt on Tuesday (28.05.203) carried large amounts of dust and sand into the air. Thanks to the prevailing southern flow, it reached the Mediterranean Sea, near southern Italy and western Greece. On Wednesday (29 May 2013), some of the dust penetrated further into the Balkans (e.g. Serbia) and overnight over Hungary, while the other part of the dust reached Turkey again thanks to another stream over Greece. A meteorological situation causing the movement of Saharan dust and sand over Europe or Slovakia is not uncommon. Of course, not every small settlement in Slovakia annually records Saharan dust in precipitation, but within Slovakia we can talk about its annual appearance.
It is not yet known whether the dust from the Sahara has reached our region, but at the same time, Ukrainians are warned to be careful during this period. In particular, it is advised not to wash or open windows, because dust from the Sahara also negatively affects human health. Vulnerable categories include people with respiratory diseases, the elderly and children.
- Residents of the western region could observe this yesterday, and today it will spread to most regions of Ukraine. The sky will be dim," the Ukrhydrometeorological center said in a statement.
Read also: Premature end of the heating season: is Transcarpathia on the list?
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