Overview
- The regional pre-alert took effect at 6:00 a.m. on February 16 across all islands due to a significant increase in Saharan dust.
- AEMET maintains yellow wind and coastal warnings, with gusts forecast to reach up to 90 km/h in some areas.
- Forecasts indicate the dust plume reaching the eastern islands around Monday evening and spreading across the archipelago by midday Tuesday, with gradual improvement from Tuesday and clearer conditions expected from Wednesday.
- Meteored warns of an "extremely unfavourable" air quality episode, with PM10 concentrations possibly exceeding 400 µg/m³ on Monday, far above the WHO daily guideline.
- Authorities advise limiting outdoor activity, keeping windows closed, and using approved masks as visibility may drop to around 3,000 metres with thicker dust at elevations of 400–500 metres and above.