Clouds of sulfuric acid from a large volcanic eruption on Saint Vincent is expected to hit the Yucatán this week.
Air quality is expected to drop significantly and the sky will take on a hazy look for the duration.
The clouds are expected to pass over Yucatán sometime in the next couple of days, lingering for not more than 24 hours.
Emissions from the La Soufrière volcano erupting on the island of Saint Vincent have already arrived in much of the Caribbean region and South America.
Meteorologists predict that the gas will transit over Yucatán at a height of between 5 and 10 kilometers but downplay any serious problems.
The clouds could bring with it bouts of acid rain, but meteorologists doubt there is enough sulfuric acid in the atmosphere to justify concern.
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Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure.
Saint Vincent is the largest island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada.
The eruption of the La Soufrière volcano has brought with it a humanitarian disaster which is likely to last for months, warned UN official Didier Trebucq.
“We are expecting that continuous explosions and ashfall will continue over the coming weeks in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but also in neighboring islands such as Barbados, which has also been severely affected… as well as Saint Lucia and Grenada,” said Trebucq.
