Massive clouds of Saharan dust to affect Florida and Gulf
Large Saharan dust clouds continue moving off the coast of Africa. This week's will affect Florida, Texas and other Gulf states.
Alex DaSilva monitors the Atlantic for tropical development. Dry air and wind shear have made tropical systems unlikely. DaSilva is monitoring the Gulf for potential activity.
It’s Saharan dust season in the Atlantic, the time of year when massive clouds of dust from Africa’s Sahara Desert are carried westward by winds, sometimes traveling thousands of miles to the United States.
A large area of Saharan dust (light brown) is seen over the Caribbean on Tuesday morning's visible satellite image. (NOAA/CIRA)
Where is the dust now?
Unhealthy air quality was observed across much of the Caribbean Tuesday morning, where dust concentrations were highest. A large area of dust was just offshore from South Florida and near the Bahamas.
When will the dust hit the United States?
"The dust is moving over Florida today and will gradually expand into other Gulf states through the weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Renee Duff said on Tuesday.
Future Saharan dust, forecast from Tuesday morning to Thursday morning.
Most of the dust is likely to remain aloft rather than fall to the ground when it arrives in the U.S., which is good news for public health. The airborne dust can cause hazy conditions and sometimes colorful sunrises and sunsets.
How does the dust affect tropical storms in the Atlantic?
Significant amounts of dust can inhibit tropical storm formation or prevent an existing storm from strengthening because the dusty air contains about 50% less moisture than the typical tropical atmosphere.
Strong winds in the dust layer can also substantially increase the vertical wind shear in and around the storm environment, potentially disrupting any storm that forms.
The dusty, dry air across such a large area is one of the main factors that will limit any tropical development across the Caribbean or Atlantic Ocean into mid-July.
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