Satuday sunset in Netanya
Photo: Ido Erez
A very high level of air pollution is expected on Sunday in the South of the country and probably in the Center, as well, due to sandstorms and haze, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).
The dust will first hit Eilat before spreading northward. There is a medium chance that very high air pollution will reach the Center in the afternoon.
As a result, the MEP recommends that at-risk citizens—those with cardiovascular diseases, the elderly, pregnant women and children—avoid staying outside longer than is necessary. They recommend that generally healthy persons refrain from strenuous outdoor activity during the day.
Eitan Mazeh, an air quality forecaster from the MEP, explained, that "winds cause the movement of dust clouds. We have models that forecast the levels of concentrations likely to prevail here, and as soon as we suspect that the levels of air pollution will exceed safe levels, we issue a warning. Asthmatics, people with cardiovascular diseases are likely to inhale the particles, which may impair their wealth, and we want to avoid that.