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The Ukrainian Weather Center refutes the fake about the alleged “dust cloud” that is blowing over Ukraine

As of February 11, no dust has been detected in the atmosphere over Ukraine, and there are no conditions for it to arrive from other regions in the coming days.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center on Facebook, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

The institution noted that the “pollution” over Ukraine, which is shown by the Ventusky Internet service, is fake.

Such applications, as noted by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, use numerical models and global databases that are not updated instantly. To predict air pollution, the model needs to know, among other things, where the main sources of emissions are located. It takes this information from global databases (EDGAR, CAMS), which once included Ukrainian factories, thermal power plants, and other large sources of pollution.

These databases are updated every few years. The data on Ukraine has not been updated for more than 11 years.

“This means that Ventusky still considers active enterprises that have already stopped or been destroyed because of the war,” the hydrometeorological center explained.

“That is, if a plant used to produce 1 million tons of steel and emit a certain amount of pollutants, the model assumes that it continues to operate. This information is further combined with data on atmospheric conditions: in the presence of an anticyclone and no wind, the model predicts the accumulation of pollution, and in the presence of wind or precipitation, it predicts its dispersion.

The Ukrhydrometeorological Center emphasizes that the Ventusky map still considers Azovstal, Novokakhovka Electric Machine Building Plant, and other enterprises to be still operating, but they are no longer in operation.

It is near these enterprises that Ventusky predicts sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to be exceeded in the coming days, although there are no real sources of emissions there anymore.

“The situation is similar all over Ukraine: many enterprises have been destroyed or shut down, but the algorithms do not know this and continue to show fictitious emissions,” the Ukrhydrometeorological Center noted.

The agency emphasizes that in the context of the war, Ukraine cannot update the data necessary for a more accurate pollution forecast for security reasons, as this would mean transferring information about all operating enterprises, their capacities, and types of emissions.

Citizens are urged not to trust pollution forecasts from unofficial sources such as Ventusky.

“This is just a model, not real data! Currently, the most reliable are actual measurements from ground stations and satellite monitoring. As of February 11, they do not record dust in the atmosphere over Ukraine, and there are no conditions for it to arrive from other regions in the coming days,” the Hydrometeorological Center said.

According to the agency’s forecasts, on February 11-12, air masses will move from east to west at a speed of 3-10 m/s, so polluted air will not come from Europe, where a small amount of dust is moving. Thus, the dust will not reach Ukraine.

on February 13, an anticyclone and weak winds (1-5 m/s) are expected. Local pollution is likely to accumulate, especially in large cities (transport emissions) and in the area of TPPs.

For February 14-15, the Ukrainian Weather Center forecasts weather changes, including stronger winds (5-12 m/s), colder weather and precipitation (mostly snow) that will cleanse the air.

Earlier, information about the alleged deterioration in air quality in Ukraine since February 13 due to a “dirty cloud” from Europe began to spread online.