The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Meteorological Services has issued a 72-hour weather outlook predicting a mix of showers, breezy conditions, and Saharan dust haze across the islands through Tuesday.
Weak unstable conditions will bring scattered light to moderate showers into Sunday. As the week progresses, shallow cloud patches will continue to produce pockets of showers as weak pulses traverse the island chain.
Health and visibility concerns are a primary focus of the outlook. Residents are urged to remain alert as varying intensities of Saharan dust haze will cross the islands over the next few days, leading to reduced air quality and lowered visibility. An official “Be Alert” advisory for the dust haze remains in effect for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Forecasters do note, however, that a temporary and slight improvement in the haze may be noticeable early Monday morning.
Marine conditions are also prompting warnings for the upcoming days. Moderate to fresh trade winds traveling at 20 to 35 km/h will blow from the east and east-north-east, before shifting to an east-south-easterly direction at times starting on Monday. While seas are currently moderate in open water, swell heights over the next three days are projected to peak near 1.5 meters on the western coasts and range between 2.0 and 2.5 meters on the eastern coasts.
A marine advisory is currently in effect for the islands. Authorities are urging small craft operators and sea bathers to exercise caution due to the combination of above-normal sea swells, occasionally gusty winds, and reduced visibility from the Saharan dust.