Powerful winds caused by an anticyclone above the Pacific Ocean have buried four coastal regions of South Peru on Thursday under a storm of dust and sand of unusual magnitude, according to the Peruvian National Meteorological Service (Senamhi).
This unusual phenomenon mainly affected the ICA region, about 400 km south of Lima, where sands and dust lifted in winds up to 50 km/h have paralyzed road traffic and tourism activities for three hours.
AFP
Disturbances have also been reported in the regions of Arequipa, Mauquegua and Tacna, as well as in the capital Lima.
“This is a phenomenon caused by the anticyclone of the South Pacific which has intensified and is very close to the continent, generating high -speed downstream winds on the surface,” said Rosario Julca, an expert from Senamhi, on the channel of Canal N.
“The presence of these downstream winds, combined on the desert surface, caused a sudden and important uprising of dust,” she added.
According to her, moderate to forts will continue to blow on the Peruvian coast until Sunday.
AFP