A dust storm is covering Ukraine, smog has formed in a number of cities: what is happening and where are the dust flows coming from. Photos and videos

On the morning of September 30, a dust storm began to cover the southeastern part of Ukraine. The air quality in several regions has deteriorated significantly, causing local residents to complain of breathing problems and limited visibility on the roads.

The dust storm was caused by wind flows from Uzbekistan. This is evidenced by data from the Windy portal.

As of 8:00 a.m., the dust flows covered the southern, eastern, and part of the central regions of our country. The most severe air pollution is observed in Dnipro, Sumy, and Poltava.

The highest concentration of particles in the air is recorded in Sumy, Poltava, Dnipro, and Mykolaiv regions. Forecasters recommend that Ukrainians from these regions limit their time outside and close windows.

Sumy

In Sumy, residents have posted a photo showing a thick layer of dust on cars. Residents of the regional center also note that it is difficult to breathe in the city, so they urge people to stay indoors if possible.

The Sumy Hydrometeorological Center explained that the serious deterioration in air quality in the eastern and northeastern regions of Ukraine is due to wind flows from the territory of the Russian Federation. It is also noted that large-scale forest fires are raging in the area of the atmospheric vortex. All this mixture of dust and smog was brought by the southeast wind.

Poltava

In Poltava, air quality began to deteriorate yesterday evening around 20:30. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the regional center rose to 78, with the normal range of 0 to 50.

In the Poltava region, visibility in some areas has deteriorated to several hundred meters (according to weather stations, up to 500 meters), and in some places even to tens of meters, according to eyewitnesses and video recordings.

Cherkasy

The head of the Cherkasy regional military administration, Ihor Taburets, said that a dust storm has reached the region. The official explained that this is why the air smells of smoke and visibility on the roads is deteriorating. According to weather forecasts, the situation in Cherkasy region can be expected to improve only on October 3.

"This is a cross-border transfer of air with dust particles from the Caspian lowland and other Asian regions to our region by southeast winds, as well as smoke from fires in ecosystems. In particular, due to the burning of peat soil in the Zolotonosha region," the RMA said.

Kharkiv

Kharkiv also experienced a deterioration in air quality on September 30. The regional center has been covered in haze since the morning, but it is mainly caused by large-scale fires in the region. The dust storm is only making the situation worse. Due to the accumulation of dust and smoke in the air, visibility on the roads has decreased.

When will the air situation improve?

According to the SaveEcoBot portal, deterioration in air quality is also observed in Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center noted that as of the morning of September 30, a dust storm and high air pollution were observed in the Caspian lowland. Since the wind is now carrying air from that region, i.e. from the southeast, the dust raised in the Caspian Sea in the form of its smallest particles is being carried to Ukraine in the upper atmosphere.

This situation will remain in place until Friday, October 4, when the wind direction in Ukraine will change to the south and west. Dust will enter the country in waves, meaning that improvements will alternate with deterioration in visibility and air quality.

Dust will hit the territory of Kyiv region on October 1 and 2, but the amount will be lower. However, in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions, air quality may also deteriorate due to the movement of carbon monoxide with the smoke that will spread from outside Ukraine from the northeast on October 1.

As a reminder, in the morning of September 29, air quality deterioration was again recorded in the Kyiv region. In several towns and villages, there was noticeable smoke and a burning smell.

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