If you suffer from dust allergies, you need to be aware that the Sahara dust season has officially begun.

According to local weather expert Dale Destin, these pesky particles typically become more prevalent around mid-February.

Although dust is blown all year round from the Sahara across the Atlantic, its greatest impacts are felt from now through to October.

While most of us experience little more than itchy eyes and sneezing, for a small proportion of the population, the pollutant can be serious, triggering allergies, as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

It’s worth noting that the worst dust event occurred in June 2020 when air quality plummeted to very unhealthy levels, the worst in at least 50 years.

Destin warns that the next significant dust inundation is expected to occur next week, starting on Sunday, when air quality could drop to unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. However, the Sahara Dust is not all bad.

Apart from being a hurricane blocker, weakening tropical cyclones, it has a fertilizing effect, thanks to being rich in plant nutrients.

It can also have a cooling effect, which is particularly welcome during the hot summer months.