Panama’s Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a surveillance notice for the incursion of dust particles from the Sahara on Wednesday, August 16, and Thursday, August 17 It is possible that there is a slight reduction in visibility and effects on the population sensitive to allergic respiratory symptoms.

Sahara dust consists of a hot and dry air mass laden with sand particles that form over the Sahara desert, due to strong winds in the North African region, intense trade winds begin to blow west in the North Atlantic. The maximum intensity of these winds is reached from mid-June to mid-August; they move over the Tropical North Atlantic, reaching the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and even the  Southern US.